New Arrival
by The Fallen Author 19
Summary: I do not own Soul Eater. Robert Greenwood is the son of a Death Scythe, with an attitude that gets him in trouble more often than not. When he comes to the DWMA, will the others accept him for who he is, or will he be hunted down? Four OC's in story. Rated for some language, blood and gore, and reference to nudity (Blair). New pic, Robert's complete soul.
1. New Arrival: Son of a Death Scythe?

**Okay, so I have recently gotten into Soul Eater. I have only seen the first six or seven episodes, but I have read several other fanfics and did some wiki research, so I have a basic idea of what's happening. Sorry if it's a little rough, but the outline for this started out as a script dialogue. Anyways, the story takes place sometime in the anime (I have put in the number of souls the three groups collected so far so you have a basic idea) and focuses on three OCs: Robert Greenwood, a new meister student, his partner Stone-Hammer, a hammer/sword weapon, and Robert's mother, Janet Greenwood. Just a heads up, Robert and Maka have a similar lifestyle, so don't flame about this. There are also some real world elements (e.g. Skillet, Coca-Cola, etc.), and I do not own them. So, R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

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New Arrival

Chapter 1

**Death City, Night**

Death City, Nevada, is quiet. Its residents are sleeping peacefully. However, the silence is broken by the sound of a battle. Two figures run through the streets. The one ahead is humanoid, but deformed. Its legs are spindly, as well as its arms. From its back, six mechanical legs move the deformed body with impressive speed.

Close behind is another human, a young girl. She wields a weapon, a scythe with an eye on the handle, and a crimson and black blade. The girl's name is Maka Albarn, and the name of the scythe is Soul "Eater" Evans, a human capable of transforming into a weapon. The deformed figure turns to face them, only to be struck by the weapon and dissolves into an orb of red surrounded by bandages. The bandages surround the orb and there is a small flash of light. The orb of light is now red, with a wisp on top, a visible core and crusted edges; a Kishin egg soul. Formed by eating a pure soul, anyone who's soul becomes a Kishin egg must be killed, and their corrupt soul eaten by a weapon. The girl approaches the egg and holds her scythe towards the Kishin egg. The scythe flashed and turned into a human form, Soul Evans. Soul grabbed the Kishin egg, and ate it in a single bite.

Once finished, he folded his hands in a prayer form and said to his meister, "Maka, thank you once again for a good meal."

"No problem Soul," Maka replied. "Come on, let's go tell Lord Death." Maka ran over to a nearby shop and breathed on the window, causing the window to become foggy. She began to write on the foggy part of the window and recited, "42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on Death's door." A wave of energy went over the window, causing it to brighten into a panel of light. "Hello? Lord Death are you there?" The light in the window fades to reveal a cartoonish looking figure. Almost his entire figure was black. The only part of his body that wasn't black was his white mask-like face that vaguely resembled a skull. This was Lord Death.

"Ya, ya, hello Meister Maka. I assume the mission was a success?"

Maka nodded her head and replied, "Yes sir, we've collected our 37th Kishin egg soul."

"Good, good, you-" Lord Death was interrupted when his mirror pinged. "Oh, it looks like someone else is contacting me. I'll do a split-screen chat." Lord Death revealed one of his two hands, which was shaped like a foam hand, and snapped his fingers. The view split along the bottom, the top showing Lord Death and the bottom a blur of light.

"Hey, Lord Death, can you hear me?" The light faded to reveal Black*Star and Tsubaki, another Meister/Weapon pair, currently in Nigeria.

"Ah Black*Star," Lord Death said, "you caught me in the middle of a message between Soul and Maka." Black*Star and Soul high-fived each other in the mirror, and Lord Death continued, "How did it go?"

"35th Kishin egg soul collected sir," Tsubaki said. "Good, Maka and Soul just obtained their 37th-" Lord Death was interrupted by another ping of his mirror. "Again? Well, nothing another split can't handle." Lord Death snapped his fingers again, pushing the two images to the right. The new light was the size of both screens combined, and faded to reveal Lord Death's son, Death the Kid, and his two weapon partners, Liz and Patty Thompson, in Canada.

"Father, Maka, Soul, Black*Star, Tsubaki," Kid said, addressing them all.

Patty moved in front of Kid and waved, loudly saying, "Hi!"

Liz was behind Kid and merely said, "Hey."

"Ah, Kid, how is my son?" Kid's expression hardened as he said, "Liz has 40 Kishin egg souls, but Patty has 41. I need another mission." Lord Death sighed at his son's OCD for symmetry.

"Okay, everyone return to the Death Room and-" Lord Death was cut off for the third time by his mirror pinging. "Not again," he complained, snapping his fingers. "This had better be the last one." Kid's image shortened to make room for a fourth image. Once it had died down, it revealed a woman wearing a dress sitting in what appeared to be a Jeep. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, and she wore at least three necklaces and twenty bracelets on each arm. Next to her was a young boy, about Maka's age. He wore a red t-shirt with a Skillet logo on the side, tan cargo pants, and glasses. He had blue eyes, light brown hair, and was looking away from the woman. In the back, everyone could see a large backpack, a trench coat, and a sword. From their perspective, it looked like they were using a windshield for communication.

"Hello, Lord Death," the woman said. She noticed the others and said, "is this a bad time?"

Lord Death shook his head and said, "No, I can always make time for the United States Death Scythe."

Everyone except Lord Death, the woman, and the boy all exclaimed simultaneously, "Death Scythe?!"

Lord Death and the woman both sweat dropped at their reaction. "Yes," Lord Death said. He regained his composure and said, "Now, what do you need Janet? Any trouble?"

Janet shook her head no and said, "There's no trouble, but I'm on the outskirts of Death City and I brought my son, Robert, with me, just like you asked."

Without turning, Robert said, "Well, I said I didn't want to go."

Janet turned to her son, her face stern and said, "We're already 1,000 miles away from Indiana, so quit your whining."

Robert now faced his mother, "Maybe I'll walk home!"

They continued to argue for three minutes, until Lord Death spoke up, "Can I say something?"

**"NO!"** Janet and Robert yelled at the same time, scaring the wits out of everyone else.

"Why must you always be this difficult?" Janet asked her son.

"Fine, you want me to go, I'll go." He opened his door and grabbed the sword, backpack, and coat. "I know one thing though, Dad would agree with me!" He shouted at Janet before slamming the door.

Janet broke into tears a few seconds later, and continued to cry for a minute before looking up and said, "I'll get going now. If you need anything, contact me." Her image faded and returned to its previous layout. Everyone was stunned.

"Okay," Lord Death broke the awkward silence, "Maka, since you're the closest to him, can you bring him to the Death Room?"

Maka bowed her head, "Will do sir," and her image faded as well. Lord Death returned his attention to the remaining Weapons and Meisters and said, "Everyone else, I'll see you soon." Then both images faded to black.

* * *

**Outer Death City**

Just on the outer edge of Death City, Robert-now wearing his trench coat, sword in hand, and bag slung over his shoulder-was grumbling to himself as he walked the empty, lamp-lit streets. "Stupid Mom, stupid city." Robert looked down at his sword and said to it, "You agree with me, right Stone-Hammer?" The sword shined along the blade's edge, revealing a human face and neck. He had dark skin, brown eyes, a bald head, and seemed to be very muscular. The human inside the blade nodded his head, grunting in approval. "Thanks Stone-hammer. I'm still considering walking back home." The human face glared at Robert, clearly saying his disapproval. "Okay, bad idea," he said. He then thought to himself, 'At least until we can get some supplies.'

He looked up and noticed the girl he saw in the top right-hand corner of the windshield was walking towards him. Next to her was a boy, about the same height as her, with white hair and some sort of attitude. 'Great, the welcoming committee has arrived.' Maka and Soul walked up to Robert.

Maka held out her hand and said, "Hi, welcome to Death City, name's Maka." Robert stared at her hard, then stared at her hand, then to Soul, and back to her. Maka pulled her hand back and said, "Anyways, this is Soul, my partner." Soul didn't hold out his hand to shake, he knew he wouldn't want to shake hands with him.

"We have orders from Lord Death to escort you to the Death Room at the DWMA. If you'll follow us please?" Maka and Soul turned and went back in the direction they came, Robert following a couple feet behind.

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**Like I said, a little rough, but the story should get better later. So, R&R, PM, and tell me what you think.**


	2. Introductions: Classes at DWMA?

**Hey everyone, I'm back with a new chapter. Sorry it took a lot of time, but I was able to finish. So for now, R&R, PM, and Enjoy.**

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Chapter 2

Death Room

Maka, Soul, and Robert, after walking through the long pathway of guillotine archways, had arrived at the Death Room. Surprisingly, Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, and Patti, along with Lord Death and Spirit, were already there. Maka questioned this, and Lord Death, who was currently an image in a mirror, stated that he came up with a new invention.

"It's called the Death Door. Its the same basic process as contacting me, only it must be written on a door or door frame. The number is 46-52-424, and you must recite, '46-52-424, go to BLANK by using Death's Door', and put in the desired location in the blank spot."

Maka was impressed, but Soul said, "Hold on, isn't that just 42-42-564 backwards?"

Lord Death almost immediately answered, "Of course. After all, a door is the opposite of a window. Anyways, I would like everyone to welcome our newest student, Robert Greenwood." Everyone smiled and greeted Robert, but all they got in return was a scowl.

Black*Star came up to him, and said, "So, if you're the meister, who's your weapon?"

Robert grasped the sword at his waist, and unsheathed it. The blade was elegantly crafted, one-sided, and about two-and-a-half feet in length. The handle was hand crafted steel with a woven leather grip. At the end of the handle was a blue gemstone, held in place by two wires that crossed at the top. The weapon flashed and transformed, giving everyone a shock.

Lord Death and Liz nervously sweat-dropped.

Black*Star and Soul's jaws dropped.

Maka and Tsubaki screamed in terror.

Spirit fell back from the surprise.

Only Kid and Patti did not have negative reactions. Kid stared blankly at Stone-Hammer, and Patti looked at him, saying "Ooh."

Robert then said, "Stone-Hammer, say hello." However, Stone-Hammer, instead of speaking, nodded his head and grunted. Patty, still not scared, began to examine Stone-Hammer, looking at all of his muscles. Stone-Hammer was in his usual clothing, a camo shirt, camo cargo pants, black army boots, and shaved head.

Lord Death was the first to speak, "Sure is a big fellow, isn't he?" Liz then regained her composure and said, "Hang on, if his name is Stone-Hammer, why is he a sword?"

"It's obvious," Robert replied, "He has a hammer form, his main combat form, and a sword form, mostly used for transportation and easy concealment."

Stone-Hammer changed from his human form into a large war hammer. The pole was four feet in length, with a large stone block for the head. The head was connected to the pole by a square, steel ring. On the side was the same gem, again held in place by two wires. Stone-Hammer then transformed again, back into a sword, and Robert sheathed him again.

Everyone started talking at once. Soul and Black*Star challenged Robert to a meister duel, Maka and Tsubaki were still in shock, and Kid was yelling something about symmetry.

Lord Death silenced them all, and said, "Everyone can go now. Robert, Spirit and I would like to have a word with you." Everyone, started to leave, and eventually, only the four remained.

"First of all," Spirit said, "Don't you dare mess with my Maka. If you even look at her in the wrong way, then as her father," Spirit leaned in close to Robert's face, **"I WILL FRICKING KILL YOU!"**

Robert seemed to be unfazed, and calmly said, "Two things sir: One, I have no romantic interest in your daughter, and two, you're starting to annoy me." Spirit pulled back and dug into his pockets. He pulled out his hand and handed Robert a small package. Robert opened it and found 200 Death Cash, the currency used in Death City, and a key. "Since you're going to be a student here, you'll be needing these. Each student receives a weekly allowance of 200 Death Cash. If you spend it all, you won't get more until the next pay day. The key is for your apartment. Normally, first-year students are required to live in the dormitories, but Lord Death said he would allow this. It goes to apartment 46D, across from Maka and Soul's apartment. If you have any questions, ask them; but if I even smell something wrong-"

"Yeah, yeah, as her dad you'll kill me," Robert interrupted.

Lord Death stepped in front of the two before Spirit could talk back, and said, "Anyways, you will begin class at the DWMA tommorow. The classes are divided into four periods: one hour of morning exercises, two and a half hours of theoretical classes, one hour for lunch, and three and a half hours of weapon practice. That's a total of eight hours, from 9am-5pm. Your theoretics class will be with Dr. Franken Stein, in the Class Crescent Moon, and you will have private weapon training with Ms. Marie Mjolnir, a hammer Death Scythe." Robert had heard, and even thought he met, Marie Mjolnir. Before his parents broke up, Robert had asked his mom about the other Death Scythes. While Janet said that there were many others, she was best friends with Marie Mjolnir. Marie, she said, was always in a cheery mood, but tried to hard to get boys to notice her. Robert was brought out of his thoughts by Lord Death.

"I said, unless you have any other questions, you can go now." Robert turned to leave, and was stopped by Spirit.

"By the way, I've never really met your mother. What is she like?" A sound of a large impact sounded behind Robert, and Lord Death said, "I thought we discussed this already that you weren't going to ask him about his mother."

Robert, once again, began to leave. He was thinking about what he should do. _'I still want to go back home, but these people seem really nice. They were the only ones who didn't write me off as a freak.'_ Robert was about to stop, but kept moving ahead. _'No, I have to go back home. I have to prove my mom wrong, prove myself. Its what Dad would want.'_

Robert had not seen his father since he was eight, and he hasn't seen him since. He didn't know much about him, but he did know about his heritage, something that he would never let anyone find out. He arrived at the door that exited into the DWMA. He unsheathed Stone-Hammer and began to write on the door and recited, "46-52-424 go to apartment 46D by using Death's Door."

The edges of the door glowed, and Robert sheathed Stone-Hammer. He opened the door, which now revealed a white expanse. Robert walked through the doorway, the light blinding him a little. When it died down, he found himself in a building. The walls were sky blue colored, with hanging lanterns above the doorways. He looked behind him and saw a doorway with a small bar that read, "45D". He looked across the hall and saw "46D" directly across from 45D. He moved towards the door and just as he opened the door, the door to 45D opened.

"Oh, Robert," Maka's voice sounded behind him. "I didn't expect to see you here. What did Lord Death want?"

Turning around, Robert replied, "Nothing much. Just some basic information about how things work. I didn't think your dad would be a Death Scythe."

Maka's face hardened and she said, "Please, I don't consider him my father. My guess is you also feel the same way to your mom."

Now Robert's face hardened, and he said, "I don't consider her my mother. Not after Dad left." Maka was a bit surprised. He was sort of like her. Before she could ask anything else, Robert turned again and opened the door to his apartment and went in.

Maka felt bad for Robert now, and decided to talk to him in the morning, and closed the door.

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**Yeah, sorry if its a bit crappy, but it will get better. Also, I'll be gone until July (no internet) so don't expect any new updates till then. So, R&R, PM, and see you later.**


	3. Training Robert and Stone-Hammer's Past?

**Hey, everyone. It seems I have a little more time than I thought, so I've decided to make this next chapter before I leave. This chapter focuses on how Robert and Stone-Hammer met, why Robert hates his mom, and other things. So, R&R, PM, and Enjoy.**

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Chapter 3  
Death City, Robert and Stone-Hammer's apartment , 6am

The sharp sound of an Army style alarm clock pierced the night silence, and was silenced just as fast as it came on. Robert was fully awake, and began to get dressed. Once he had finished, he went into the living room, where Stone-Hammer had already transformed and was sitting on the couch.

"Morning," Robert said, tapping Stone-Hammer on the shoulder. They both went into the kitchen, which conjoined with the living room, and Robert dug out two MREs (Meal Ready to Eat). Robert handed Stone-Hammer his favorite, Ham and Cheese Omelet, while taking out his own, Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant. They had to wait while their food heated up in the bag, and Robert said, "I'm still thinking of going back. Once we get enough money and supplies, we are out of here."

Stone-Hammer grumbled, disagreeing.

"Look, I know you like it here, but my home is in Indiana."

Stone-Hammer sighed, retrieving his now heated MRE.

Robert did the same, and said, "I can still remember that day, when we first decided to become partners."

**_Flashback, Central Indiana, three months ago_**

Robert had just got out of junior high, and his mother had suggested he attend DWMA. Robert naturally declined, saying he didn't want to leave his friends. Robert was now outside of his house, leaning against a fence that separated his house from an Army recruiting center. He was considering joining the Army after high school and was watching the new recruits go through an obstacle course. He was trying to see what he was in for, and he thought it was little to no challenge for him. He noticed one recruit in particular. The guy was about 7' 8" at most, with dark skin and an army style haircut. He looked like he was about Robert's age, surprisingly, and was far ahead of the others. Once he reached the finish line, he roared with triumph, Robert assumed.

Two Army people, a man and a woman, went over to the boy and congratulated him. They said something Robert couldn't hear, and the boy looked disappointed. He seemed to notice Robert and looked back at the two people. The two looked over at Robert and walked over to him.

At first, Robert thought he was in trouble, but the man said, "Hey, do you think he could help out our son."

Robert looked over to the boy, and said, "You mean him? Why?"

"Our son is going to be doing a partner combat session, but doesn't have a partner," the woman said. Robert looked over at the boy again, and nodded. He climbed over the fence and walked with the two over to the boy.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Robert."

"Jacob, this is Robert. He's agreed to be your partner." Robert held out his hand, which Jacob looked at. Jacob, instead of taking it, held up his hand like an arm wrestler. Robert smiled, and took his hand. They chest bumped (I don't know what this is called, but I think its called a bro hug), and turned to face the two.

"We're ready."

**_End Flashback_**

"After that day, we became partners in crime." They had just finished their MREs, and were getting ready to head to the school. "Okay, ready?"

"Ready." Stone-Hammer only knew a few words, due to having Army life for most of his life.

They left the apartment and Robert continued, "And then that combat session, that was what made us really partners."

**_Back to Flashback_**

Robert and Jacob faced off against two other Army men. Despite the fact that it was two full grown men against two freshman, Jacob insisted on it. The two men had no weapons, it was hand to hand combat. The two men charged, and Robert and Jacob readied themselves. Simultaneously, they vaulted over the men, and knocked them back, causing them to stumble and fall. Robert laughed at the two, and Jacob smiled.

The two got back up, and the one on the right said, "That's it! Thomas, let's crush them now!"

The man known as Thomas said, "Right Joe." Thomas began to glow, and changed in shape. When the glow faded, Thomas was now a large sword. Joe grasped the handle and, as if it were nothing, swung it around. Robert was a little intimidated, but Stone-Hammer stepped forward. He raised his arm which also flashed and turned into a blade. Robert stepped forward as well, and Jacob held out his hand. Robert took it and Jacob transformed into a sword as well. It was smaller and thinner than the other sword, but seemed just as powerful.

The man called Joe charged at them, preparing for a stab. Robert side-stepped the attack and hit the man's neck with the flat of the blade. Joe fell, slightly stunned, and Robert was surprised. He had done some hand-to-hand combat with a practice dummy, but he could never do something like that so quickly. He tossed Jacob in the air, and he transformed back into a boy. They heard clapping from behind them, and they turned to see Jacob's parents applauding them.

"Good, very good," Jacob's mother said.

"Your best speed record to date. You two make an excellent team," Jacob's dad said.

"What's your name kid?"

"Robert Greenwood, sir."

**_End Flashback_**

"Yeah we did make a good team. When your parents met my mom, they talked about us becoming partners. We did a few more battles, and even took a few Kishin egg souls along the way. Now, here we are three months later." They had arrived at the DWMA stairs, and were looking up at the building. There were several skulls shaped like Lord Death's, three of which had the entryways in between their "teeth". Four candles were in the front of the building, never going out and never shortening. "Okay, Stone-Hammer, time to start training."

Ever since Robert was Stone-Hammer's partner, he had followed his training schedule. The list grew as they got older, either adding/replacing workout routines or increasing the difficulty of the routine. Robert started the routine by doing 50 push-ups, then 100 more push-ups with Stone-Hammer sitting on his back. Stone-Hammer then did 100 push-ups with 100 pounds of stone on his back (cut from the pavement), then another 200 with 500 pounds of stone.

After that, and without pausing, they ran twenty laps around the entire DWMA building (about the equivalent of ten miles). Sit-ups followed afterward, with Robert doing 500 and Stone-Hammer doing 1,000. After this, they practiced in hand-to-hand combat, and continued until a voice sounded from the direction of the stairs.

"Working hard?" Both Robert and Stone-Hammer turned to see a woman with a black and yellow dress, and an eye patch with a thunderbolt on it.

Robert and Stone-Hammer "stood at attention", Robert yelling, "Ms. Mjiolnir, ma'am."

Marie Mjiolnir laughed a little at his behavior and said, "At ease you two." Robert and Stone-Hammer relaxed a little and walked over to her.

"Ms. Mjiolnir? I'm Robert Greenwood, and this is Jacob "Stone-Hammer" Stone. I understand that we're supposed to be doing private weapon training with you?"

Marie smiled again and said, "Yes, of course. I believe we met before when I visited your mother."

Robert's expression went grim, and he said, "I haven't considered her my mother. Not since the day Dad left." Marie's expression saddened, but soon turned back up.

"Well, it's 8:42 right now," she said, looking at a pocket watch she had, "Why don't you come inside and we can talk more when weapon practice comes up." Robert nodded his head, turning to Stone-Hammer. Stone-Hammer turned into a sword, and Robert sheathed him, following Ms. Mjiolnir into the building.

* * *

Death City, Maka and Soul's apartment, 7am

Maka had recently woken up and gotten dressed. She was now in the kitchen, making bacon and eggs for breakfast. Soul walked in a few moments later, the smell of food keeping him awake. "Morning Maka," Soul said sleepily to Maka.

"Morning," Maka replied, "how did you sleep?"

Soul sat in of the chairs and said, "You know me, like a log." He looked at the door to their apartment and continued, "So what did you think of that new kid? You two seem to have a lot in common." Maka had told Soul about what Robert had said, how he didn't consider his mother, his mother.

Maka went over to the table, carrying two plates of bacon and eggs, and said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, both of you have a Death Scythe for a parent, and I'd be willing to bet that his parents are getting a divorce, if not already. Not to mention his hatred towards his mom. Plus, from the first encounter we had with him, when we were talking to Lord Death and the others, he seems to be on his dad's side. It's like he's another you from a different dimension." Soul laughed at his own joke, earning him a Maka chop that sent his face into his food.

Maka began to think, and said, "Well, we have that much in common, but I'm still not sure."

Soul, now recovered and wiping the food off of his face, said, "Well, how about you invite him over after school."

Maka began to think a little and smiled. "Yeah, okay. We can even invite the others too, like a welcoming party."

"That's the spirit, I'm gonna go get ready. Meet you out there in a few." Soul left, putting his plate on the counter next to the sink, and went to his room. Maka got her stuff ready and went outside the apartment. Once Soul had gotten ready and went outside, he found Maka already sitting on his motorcycle. Soul got on, moving Maka back a little and started it up. Once he got it going, they raced off to the DWMA.

Eventually, Kid joined them riding his own skateboard, Beelzebub. Liz and Patty were in their weapon forms. "Maka, Soul," he said, addressing them.

"Sup?"

"Hey, Kid. How's it hanging?"

"Well, I was patrolling earlier and I saw Robert and Stone-Hammer at the DWMA."

Maka was a bit surprised, and said, "Any idea why?"

"Well, from my viewpoint, it seemed as if they were training, doing their morning exercises early." They arrived at the DWMA, and Maka got off of the bike.

"Why would he do that? We all have a fixed training schedule." Kid dismounted from his board and it turned into a black colored energy, which went into his left sleeve.

"I have no clue, but they were training intensely. I suggest that we continue this discussion later. School is about to begin." Maka and Soul, after securing his motorcycle, agreed with him and they made their way to the school.

* * *

DWMA, Running Track, 9am

The other students were getting ready for their first daily exercise, running around the track. It went around the entire school, and two laps were equal to a mile. The physical ed teacher approached the students and blew his whistle, bringing everyone to attention.

"Okay, I just got word that Mr. Greenwood is excused from today's exercise." The students began to murmur about him, wondering why he was excused. "Okay, enough talk." He blew his whistle and the students began to run around the track.

* * *

DWMA, Death Room, 9am

"So, mind explaining why I've been excused?" Robert asked Ms. Mjiolnir. Lord Death and Spirit were also with them, and Lord Death had just said Robert was excused from his morning exercises.

"Well, I saw that you did serious training. Most students could never do that much training in such a period of time," she explained.

"Indeed," Lord Death said, "Most students run a single mile, but instead you ran ten like it was nothing."

Robert smirked, and said, "Well, that's kind of what happens when you get used to an Army workout."

"Yes, your mother said something about that when we first talked. She said you and Stone-Hammer were like brothers." Stone-Hammer, currently sitting down in his human form, nodded and grunted.

"I'm curious about something," Spirit said. "Why does he only use grunts instead of words?"

Robert simply replied, "Another thing about living an Army life all his life, is he never really got a good education. He knows a few words, but nothing to make a good conversation."

Spirit continued, "Okay, so how about more info on your mother?"

**"Reaper Chop!"** Spirit's head split open as Lord Death chopped him. "What did I just say?!"

"No," Robert said, confusing everyone. "I don't mind. My mom was a nice person, and she cared very deeply for me and Dad. Dad was her Meister, and when Mom became a Death Scythe, he proposed to her. I'm not going to go through the major details, but when I was about ten, Dad found Mom cheating on him. I never forgave her for that, nor will I ever. Two years later, they divorced. Dad went missing, so I had to be placed with my Mom. Ever since, she's gone from man to man, and I've hated her every single day." Everyone was silent, and Robert continued, "Because of my hatred, she of course tries to win me back. She's tried multiple times, but each time failed. I've been to every amusement park at least once, traveled around the world, and yet I still have no change in my thoughts."

Silence again, then Spirit spoke up, "You sound just like Maka, you know. I have the same problem. My wife left me, and I try to give my daughter all the love in the world, but..." He paused for a moment, lowering his head. All of a sudden, his head shot up.

"MAKA! Why can't we be a family again!? Papa loves you, Maka!"

He ran out of the Death Room, continuing his wailing until his voice died out. "Okay, so Robert," Lord Death continued, "I believe that since your mother was a weapon, you inherited her weapon ability." Robert held up his hand, which flashed a teal color. It reformed into an iron chain with a weight at the end. The weight was hexagonal in shape, each side having three spikes.

"The chigiriki. The only thing I actually like about Mom now is the ability to transform into a weapon." He turned it back into a hand and flexed it a little. He stood up and said, "Is it okay if I leave? I would like to think in peace."

Lord Death's foam hands came out and he waved them saying, "Of course, It's almost ten, though, so I suggest you get a move on."

Robert nodded and turned to Stone-Hammer, who transformed into a sword. Robert sheathed Stone-Hammer and made his way down the pathway. Once he arrived at the door, he once again wrote 46-52-424 and said, "46-52-424, go to Class Crescent Moon using Death's Door." The doorway flashed again, and Robert walked through, Stone-Hammer still in his hands.

* * *

**Sorry if its a little confusing, but here's a short version to the back story: Robert met Jacob Stone, aka Stone-Hammer, three months prior to this story at an Army recruiting center near his house. They became partnered up and fought for the first time against another Meister/Weapon pair, which they defeat. After that, Jacob's parents and Robert's mom talk about them becoming partners and decide they should attend DWMA. As for Janet, Robert's mom, she was once caring for her family until she was caught cheating. Robert's dad left after they got divorced and was never seen again, meaning Robert had to stay with his mother. Robert, of course, hates his mother, so she tries everything to win back his love, but fails every time. Okay, so R&R, PM, and back to episode 21 of Soul Eater.**


	4. Roberts Secret: Harsh Words and Actions?

**Hey everyone, I'm back for a couple days so I thought I would update a few of my stories. Anyways, a huge thanks to soma1548 for a shout out in her story, "A Twisted Cinderella Story". Even though I was called a "her". Anyways, R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4

**DWMA, Class Crescent Moon, 9:55am**

Students began to arrive at Class Crescent Moon, ready for their theoretics class. Soul was leaning back in his seat, Maka was reading a book she had recently started, Black*Star was ranting on about surpassing God, Tsubaki was calmly sitting in her seat, Kid was aligning his school supplies, Liz was looking at her nails, and Patti was busy creating several mini giraffes.

The main topic of discussion was about Robert, and why he had been excused from morning exercises. Some students believed it was special treatment for being a son of a Death Scythe, others saying he could have been sick.

The talking stopped when the teacher, Dr. Stein, came into the classroom. Dr. Stein was known throughout the entire DWMA as possibly the greatest meister of all. He was once even partnered with the Death Scythe Spirit Albarn, before Spirit stopped being his partner and got a new one. Stein was always curious about how things worked, so much in fact that he actually had a tendency to dissect things. The most noticeable features of Stein were the stitches on his body, which practically covered every part of his body, and the large screw in his head.

"Okay, everyone," he said loudly, grabbing everyone's attention, "Before we begin, we have a new student here at DWMA." As if on cue, the door to the classroom flashed white, and Robert walked through. "Ah, Mr. Greenwood. So glad you could join us," Dr. Stein said, walking over to Robert. "I assume your talk with Lord Death went smoothly?" Robert nodded and unsheathed Stone-Hammer, who immediately transformed, shocking everyone. Dr. Stein was only slightly shocked however, and said, "Hm, interesting. So, this is your partner, Stone-Hammer I believe." Robert nodded his head, and Dr. Stein lit a cigarette. He put it in his mouth and exhaled a skull-shaped cloud of smoke.

"I would like to use Soul Perception, a technique that allows me to see a person's soul, on you two, and see how your soul wavelengths match." Dr. Stein looked at Robert first, staring for a few minutes, and said, "Well, you seem to be the book-smart type, but also not very trusting of others." He then turned to Stone-Hammer and said, "As for sunshine over here," Stone-Hammer grunted in annoyance, "very strong-willed and determined, but at times careless. Overall, it seems you perfectly cover each others weaknesses of brain and brawn."

Dr. Stein turned to the rest of the class and said, "You'll sit on the third row, Stone-Hammer in the aisle seat." Robert and Stone-Hammer walked up to their seats, Stone-Hammer making mini-earthquakes with each step, and sat down. Robert noticed he was sitting next to Maka, and thought to himself, _'Great, what are the odds?'_

Class went on as usual, and when it was time to leave for lunch, Dr. Stein asked Robert to stay. Once everyone had left, Dr. Stein said, "Listen, I know what you are." Robert flinched at what he said. "I'm not going to tell anyone, but I should let you know that I'm not the only one here with Soul Perception. Maka has it as well."

Robert's face grew harder with each second. "All the more reason for me to avoid her," he replied. Robert began to leave, but was stopped once again by Dr. Stein. "I won't tell anyone about who you really are, but if Maka finds out I can't help you." Robert nodded again and left for his locker. Once there, he opened it and retrieved his and Stone-Hammer's lunches, closed it, and made his way to the cafeteria.

* * *

**DWMA, Cafeteria, 12:30**

Robert and Stone-Hammer were sitting at a table in the back of the cafeteria, away from everyone else. They were currently eating their recently heated MREs; Robert having chicken fajita and Stone-Hammer having beef enchiladas. Robert drank some of his apple juice, which tasted horrible, and sighed. He looked up and saw Stone-Hammer had already finished, and was currently eating his dessert; a chocolate bar. Robert sighed, and began to survey the cafeteria while he ate. He was almost finished when he noticed Maka was looking in his direction. He froze for a moment, thinking he had been found out, but she turned and was now talking with the others, who also looked over at them. Robert quickly finished, as did Stone-Hammer, and they stood up quickly. Robert threw away their bags and they hurriedly left the cafeteria.

They slowed to a walk once they had entered the hallway, and Robert said to Stone-Hammer, "We need to make sure they don't find us again. If Maka has figured my identity out, she'll try to confront me first." He looked behind them and saw that Kid, Liz and Patty were behind them. Robert cursed and they broke into a run, Stone-Hammer turning back into a sword. Robert weaved through the hallway as he tried to run from the young Reaper, and heard him shout, "Hey, stop! I just want to talk!" Robert jumped over a group of students and rolled into another hallway. He pressed up against the closest wall and saw the three pursuers run past. Robert laughed and continued down the hallway.

A sudden "Yahoo!" stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to see Black*Star and Tsubaki in her weapon form. "Hey, I found him!" he shouted in the direction of Kid, Liz, and Patty. Robert dashed down the hall, Black*Star in pursuit. Robert turned to see Black*Star gaining on him, Kid behind him with Liz and Patty also in weapon form. Black*Star shouted something, and Robert continued to run. He turned again, and saw that Black*Star was right next to him, racing with him, and Kid was on his hover board.

Robert shouted to Black*Star, "Your pretty fast!" Black*Star smirked, and Robert continued, "How's your reaction time?" Robert quickly stopped running and vaulted backwards, flying over Kid in the process, and began to run the other way. Robert laughed as he looked back to see Black*Star collide with Kid. "I think we finally lost them Stone-Hammer," Robert said after turning the corner. He continued to run down the hall until he was stopped by a large blade. He followed the blade until it led to its Meister, Maka. Robert stepped back and unsheathed Stone-Hammer.

Maka held up her hands in defense, and said, "Wait, I'm not here to fight you."

Robert wasn't convinced, and retorted, "Then why the hell were you and those other two chasing me?" Maka reached behind her and pulled out a card.

"So I could give you this." She held it out to Robert, who snatched it away.

"You mean, you chased me around DWMA just to give me a," he paused, and opened the card, "an invitation?"

"Its a 'Welcome to DWMA' party, for you." Robert paused for a moment, and looked at the card again.

"We wanted to welcome you, and help you make some friends," Soul said, still in his scythe form.

Robert, stared at the card for a moment longer, and said, "Let me tell you something." He tossed the card in the air, and in a single fluid movement, sliced it in half. "I don't intend on making friends," he walked slowly towards Maka, "I don't intend on going to parties," he stopped in front of Maka, "and I especially don't intend on staying. The moment I get the chance, I'm leaving. _A. S. A. P._" He stressed the last four letters, and walked past Maka. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to my weapon training class."

Maka was absolutely stunned. Black*Star and Kid arrived a few minutes later, and Kid asked what happened. Soul answered, "He declined, and Maka took it really hard." Maka was still frozen in place, and Soul continued, "He said it really harshly. Maka!? Still with us?!" Maka snapped out of her stunned state, and sighed.

"Come on, we better go to class."

* * *

**Ouch, talk about harsh. Also, I'm going to keep everyone in the dark about who Robert really is (he isn't a dead character reincarnated or a disguised character, if you were thinking that) until later. So until then, R&R, PM, and keep guessing.**


	5. Hero: Robert Faces a Death Scythe?

**Hey, I'm back. Well, until Jul. 7th, that is. Good news, I have a job. Bad news, I have to stay at my Dad's. Now, I'm not complaining-I make money and it goes to college, but no updates. I will promise to write as much as I can, so R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

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Chapter 5

**DWMA, Dance Studio, 1:30pm**

Robert arrived at the room for his weapon training class, but was a bit puzzled as to why it was called "The Dance Studio". He entered and already found Marie inside. The room was very spacious, like a small gymnasium. The floor was wooden, and the walls were mostly concrete, with large wall mats lining them. Marie noticed Robert and walked over to him. "Okay, ready for your training?"

Robert nodded and said, "Remind me why this is called the dance studio?"

Marie smiled, saying, "Well, it wasn't a dance studio to begin with I'll tell you that. We just call it the dance studio because this room is mostly used for practicing combat." Marie led him to the center and continued over to a desk. She sat down at a control panel, and said, "We'll start with some basic combat." She pressed a few buttons, and fifteen practice dummies came up from the floor, each having three, crudely drawn, vertical eyes on their faces and a drawing of a Kishin egg soul on their chests.

Robert turned to Marie and said, "Really, training dummies?"

"The difficulty will increase over time," Marie replied. Robert sighed, and walked over to the desk. He handed her a disc and said, "At least put on some decent music for me." Marie took the disc and inserted it into a music player, Robert calling out, "Track six!" Marie turned it to the desired track and the song Hero by Skillet (I suggest watching the Soul Eater AMV by ILupes222) began to play.

The music began to pick up as Robert unsheathed Stone-Hammer and said, "Ready?" "Ready," he replied. Robert charged the dummies as the music intensified. He sliced and hacked away at the dummies with incredible speed and agility. Marie pressed some more buttons and Robert was surrounded by hanging dummies.

_I'm just a step away, I'm just a breath away, losing my faith today (Falling off the edge today)_

He noticed some of the dummies had regular eyes and souls drawn on them. Robert shouted, "Soul Resonance! Slicing Doom!"

_I am just a man, not superhuman (I'm not super human) Someone save me from the hate_

Stone-Hammer's sword form began to change. His blade glowed, lengthening and widening as it did. Once the glow faded, Stone-Hammer's blade was six feet long, and double the width. His blade was now completely black, save for a blue streak along the blade's edge. Opposite, there were curved spikes along the length of the back.

_It's just another war, just another family torn (Falling from our feet today) Just a step from the edge, just another day in the world we live. I need a hero, to save me now, I need a hero (save me now). I need a hero, to save my life, a hero who'll save me (just in time)_

Robert continued his onslaught, making sure to only hit the Kishin dummies. He almost hit a normal dummy twice, but was able to stop himself before he could decapitate them.

_I've got to fight today, to live another day, speaking my mind toady (My voice will be heard today) I've got to make a stand, but I am just a man (I'm not super human) My voice will be heard today!_

Once all the Kishin Dummies were slain, Stone-Hammer turned into his hammer form, and Marie pressed another set of buttons. This time, the dummies were moving via motorized stands, Robert shouted once more, "Soul Resonance! Spirit Smasher!" and again Stone-Hammer changed shape.

_It's just another war, just another family torn (My voice will be heard today). It's just another kill, the countdown begins to destroy ourselves._

This time, his hammer became more lightweight, the hammer now being one-sided with a hooked blade on the opposite end. The staff became thinner, more articulate like a Chinese pillar from an emperor's palace.

_I need a hero, to save me now, I need a hero (save me now). I need a hero, to save my life. A hero who'll save me (just in time). I need a hero, to save my life, I need a hero just in time._

Robert quickly jumped around, stopping in front of each dummy. If it was normal, he jumped to the next one, if it was Kishin, he would either smash it with his hammer or impale it on the blade. He again, quickly disposed of them, and Marie pushed several buttons. This time, only one dummy came up.

_Save me just in time, Save me just in time Who's gonna fight for what's right? who's gonna help us survive? We're in the fight of our lives (I will be ready to die)_

The dummy was Kishin, and was massive in size. It resembled a giant, and seemed to be motorized to move as well. Robert jumped into the air, and shouted, "Soul Resonance, Combination! Smashing Devastator!" Stone-Hammer's head (the actual hammer, I mean) instantly doubled in size, and Robert brought it down on its head.

_Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? I've got a hero (I've got a hero) Living in me, I'm gonna fight for what's right, today I'm speaking my mind, if it kills me tonight (I will be ready to die)_

The head was smashed, and Stone-Hammer quickly transformed back into a sword, allowing Robert to slice the enormous dummy in half. The giant dummy fell over, each half falling to one side, and Robert turned to Marie. She paused the music, and Robert said, "Come on. Give me a real challenge." He chuckled, but noticed she was smirking. Marie stood, resuming the music, and walked in front of Robert.

_A hero's not afraid to give his life, a hero's gonna save me just in time_

She turned her left hand into a golden, glowing hammer, and said, "Okay, how about this?" She charged at him, causing a crater to form where she originally stood. Robert held up Stone-Hammer, blocking the blow but was also pushed back. He shoved her away, and smiled.

"Yeah, that's a challenge I'll take. But first, Soul Resonance! Slicing Doom!"

_I need a hero, to save me now. I need a hero (save me now) I need a hero, to save my life. A hero who'll save me (just in time)_

The blade transformed again, and he charged. Marie slammed her Hammer hand into the ground, causing a shock wave to make Robert lose his footing. He fell over, and Marie jumped into the air, shouting. Robert smiled, seeing his chance, and shouted one last time, "Soul Resonance, Combination! Thousand Destroyer."

_(I need a hero) Who's gonna fight for what's right? who's gonna help us survive? (I need a hero)Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? I'm not a hero! I need a hero! A hero's gonna save me just in time!_

In an instant, Robert disappeared, and Marie slammed the ground. Robert was now behind her, Stone-Hammer somehow already sheathed. Robert turned just in time to see Marie fall over just as the music ended. He walked over to her and helped her up, noticing very small cuts on her skin and clothing. "You alright? I didn't do too much damage, did I?" Robert asked, setting her down in her chair.

Marie shook her head no, then asked, "What happened? I was about to beat you, then you suddenly disappeared and I had all these cuts on me."

Robert smirked, and said, "Excellent question." He began to pace in front of the desk, like a teacher, and said, "If you'll remember, before you hit the ground, I used a Combination Soul Resonance technique."

"Hold on," Marie said, wincing a little, "What do you mean combination?"

"I used two Soul Resonance techniques at once: the already active Slicing Doom, and my most powerful sword technique, Thousand Striker. The result, Thousand Destroyer. When I use Thousand Striker by itself, time, for me, slows down to the point where it seems it's standing still. This allows me to strike my opponent 1,000 times, and ends when I put Stone-Hammer into his sheath. However, since I had Slicing Doom active, the damage is increased. I only gave you small cuts, nothing too fatal."

Marie chuckled, and said, "You really are something, you know?" She looked at the clock on the music player. "Well, it's four o' clock right now, what do you want to do?" Robert unsheathed Stone-Hammer and tossed him so he could transform. Both of them sat on the floor, and lied against the wall.

"Well, you gave us quite a challenge. I guess we'll just rest here until school let's out." Robert and Stone-Hammer sat in lotus position, and relaxed. Marie smiled and looked up at the ceiling.

_'He's got courage, and heart,'_ she thought to herself._ 'He'll make a fine meister, someday.'_

* * *

**Outside DWMA, Entrance courtyard, 4:00pm**

Maka and Soul were sitting outside, Maka in deep thought. "Are you still thinking about Robert?" Maka sighed, and hung her head. Soul sat down next to her, and grunted. "You should be practicing. Who cares if he doesn't want to go?"

Maka glared at him and shouted, "I care, okay!" She hung her head again, and said, "I just want to make him feel welcome." Soul sighed, and looked up into the sky, noticing the laughing sun.

"Look, I want him to feel welcome too," he said, trying to sympathize with his meister, "but face the facts. He clearly doesn't want any friends." Maka sighed again, but stood up. "Where are you going?" Soul asked.

"I'm going to talk with Lord Death. I want to know about Robert and exactly why he's like this." Soul stood up as well, and followed his meister back into DWMA. They arrived at the entrance to the Death Room, and walked in. Maka race-walked through the arches until she arrived at the Death Mirror, the mirror that Lord Death sometimes resides in. She wrote on the mirror and recited, "42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on Death's Door." The mirror activated, and Lord Death appeared.

"Oh, Meister Maka, I don't recall asking for you to come down. What brings you here?"

"Lord Death, I want to know more about Robert. Why he's acting the way he is."

Lord Death was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, I can't tell you that. If you want to know, you'll have to ask him yourself."

"But Lord Death, I tried to invite him to a party so I could ask him, but he turned me down."

"Harshly," Soul added.

Lord Death "hmmed" for a moment, then said, "You'll just have to try again. Get him in a good mood, maybe he'll open up." Maka was about to say something, but Lord Death cut her off, "I have to go now. Bye." Lord Death disappeared, and Maka sighed with disappointment.

"So what now?"

Soul asked. Maka turned and walked away, saying, "We try again, just like Lord Death said."

* * *

**Good? Bad? R&R? PM?**


	6. First Mission: Robert and Maka's Quest?

**Double Update! R&R, PM, and Enjoy again!**

* * *

Chapter 6

**DWMA, Mission Board, 5:03pm**

Robert had left the Dance Studio ten minutes before five so he could get his and Stone-Hammer's stuff from their locker. He was currently looking at the mission board, his trench coat over his shoulder and Stone-Hammer sheathed, trying to decide on a mission. Before he came to DWMA, he and Stone-Hammer had collected a handful of Kishin egg souls. Unfortunately, when they left, their collected souls were confiscated. This meant they had to start over from scratch. He noticed some of the missions had special tasks or opportunities. Some required a certain star meister, others required more than one meister/weapon pair. He scanned each of them, going over the possibilities. He noticed one in particular and grabbed it. He examined it further, noting the location was Moscow, Russia, and offered an opportunity of 26 Kishin eggs; about how many they lost. He went over to the reception woman behind a desk and said, "I would like to take this mission, please." The woman took the mission card and examined it.

She shook her head and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, but you must have a partner for this mission. If you cannot find a partner, you will not be able to-"

"I'll be his partner." Robert slightly flinched and slowly turned. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the one who spoke, Maka, Soul standing next to her.

"Very well, then. Since you'll be working together, you'll have to split the reward evenly, thirteen each."

Robert grumbled a bit, then said, "Fine." The woman placed the card to the side, and Maka and Robert left.

"Look," Maka said, "I know you're still mad at me, but can we at least talk?"

"About what?" Robert said coldly, pulling out an mp3.

"I just want to know what your deal is."

"My deal?"

"Yeah, like why you wouldn't want to go to a party that me and the others are having for you, or why you're acting like this right now." Robert wasn't listening to her, instead listening to the song currently playing. "Hey! Are you even listening?!" Maka shouted. Robert didn't reply, and Maka looked at some of her books. She selected a thick one, and said, "Maka-Chop!" She had brought it halfway down to his head when it suddenly stopped. Robert had his hand on the spine of the book, eyes closed and still listening to music.

He let go and said, "Don't even try that again." They continued to walk until they reached the door to the Dispensary, a nurse's office of sorts. Robert took out Stone-Hammer and began to write, reciting, "46-52-424, go to Moscow, Russia, using Death's Door." He opened the door and walked through the white expanse, Maka and Soul following close behind.

Once they had come out the other side, they found themselves in front of the onion domed building. It was snowing outside, and the wind was furiously blowing, causing the snowflakes to sting against their skin. Maka was rubbing her arms, trying anything to keep herself warm. Robert looked around and walked ahead, not even putting on his trench coat, and said, "Come on, we have work to do." They walked along the street, only a few cars passing by. They were looking for a warehouse, at the south end of Moscow. Robert was walking with a strong, sturdy pace, listening to his music. Maka, however, was faltering behind. Soul was still in human form, but not as cold as Maka. Robert turned and stopped, noticing Maka was behind. He sighed, and waited for them to catch up. Once Maka was ahead of him, he put his coat on her, and Maka turned in slight surprise.

"Robert, no it's your coat. You should wear it."

She was about to take it off, but Robert pushed ahead and said, "You need it more. Trust me." Maka pulled the coat on, feeling the warmth trap inside and warm her. They walked a few more blocks until Robert stopped in front of a very old, worn-out building. It was two stories high, the windows boarded up and layers of snow on the wall. "We're here," Robert said. He unsheathed Stone-Hammer, who immediately transformed into his war hammer form. Soul transformed into a scythe, and the two meisters prepared themselves.

"Alright," Maka said, "we first need to get in, and without attracting too much attention. Then, we locate and dispose of the Kishin eggs." Robert walked up to the door and examined it. The door was boarded up as well, but the wood was rotting. He looked around and noticed a window on the second floor was completely open. He placed Stone-Hammer directly below the window and stood him on his handle.

He jumped onto the top of the stone head, keeping it perfectly balanced, and whispered, "Okay, I'll give you a boost up, then you help us up." Maka nodded and took Robert's extended hand. She stood on top of the hammer as well, and Robert gave Maka a leg-up to the window.

Once she climbed through, she poked her head out and whispered, "There's some rope in here, I'll use that." Robert nodded and got off Stone-Hammer. The rope came down and Robert grabbed Stone-Hammer, hooking him between him and his backpack. He climbed the rope up, Maka pulling it up as well, and slid through the window quietly. They turned to the railing and looked through the bars, seeing a group of people wearing various theater masks (happy face, sad face, etc.) and sitting around a large table. They were talking and drinking, apparently playing poker, with souls as wager chips. Robert turned to Maka and held up a finger to his mouth.

He quietly pulled a pad of paper from his bag and wrote down, "I have a plan. See the piece of metal by your foot?" Maka looked and saw a scrap piece of metal. Robert continued to write, "Throw it to the far corner when I say. They'll hear the noise, and then we can take them by surprise." Maka smiled and nodded. They waited a few moments, and Robert mouthed the word, "Now". Maka tossed the scrap metal and it hit the floor with a loud clang. The group was completely startled by this, and they all shot up.

"What the heck was that?" a man with a sad mask on said.

"I'll go check," a woman with a blank expression mask said. The woman slowly moved towards the corner, and Robert quickly wrote, "I'll get them confused, you take them down." Robert quietly moved to the other side and cupped his hands over his mouth. Then he started to laugh maniacally (imagine the viperwolves laugh from Avatar, but more human), causing the group to startle.

They looked up into the shadows, and one of them shouted, "Who's there?" Robert quickly dashed to the another side and laughed again. He continued to move around, the laughter echoing all around making them all unsure of where the source was.

Robert stopped and dropped down to the bottom level, as one of the others shouted, "Show yourself!"

Robert was right behind him, and he quickly said, "Boo." All of them turned to him, completely scared out of their wits. "Heh heh heh, my little theatrics give you the goosebumps?" Robert said sarcastically.

"Who are you?" a man with an angry mask half-shouted. "Are you with the DWMA?" Robert smirked, and brought out Stone-Hammer, twirling him in his hands.

"Maybe, what does it matter?" Robert noticed Maka had dropped down and was silently moving towards the others.

"If you are with DWMA, then we'll have to kill you. Maybe even gamble over your soul."

"Oh really? Who's we?" The man began to laugh and turned around, but was shocked to see not the others in his group, but Maka with several Kishin egg souls floating around her.

"Impossible," the man said, "how did-" the man was cut off as he was hit in the back by Stone-Hammer. His body fell to the ground and Maka finished him off with a stab from Soul. His body dissolved into the same Kishin egg as the others.

Robert smiled and said, "Nice silent take-downs. How was my theatrics?"

Maka also smiled and said, "Brilliant. There is no way I could have done that creepy laughter." Robert smiled back as he divided up the spoils. Once finished, he was confused.

"Uh, Maka? There were supposed to be 26 Kishin eggs, right?" Maka nodded and Robert continued, "I only count 25." He counted again, and they were one soul short. Robert looked around the warehouse and said, "Stay alert, for all we know he could be hiding here right now." They stood back to back, looking around for any signs of movement. Maka closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm picking up a Kishin egg soul, on your right." Robert slightly turned his head and just barely noticed a masked face go behind some crates.

"I saw him. We'll have to draw him out somehow." Maka walked over to the cluster of Kishin eggs and Soul transformed. "Either way," she said, "let's take care of these first." Robert set Stone-Hammer on his handle, but he didn't transform back. Soul ate 13 of the Kishin eggs, and Stone-Hammer used the gem on the steel ring to absorb the Kishin eggs. Once they were gone, Robert picked up Stone-Hammer, and Robert said, "Okay, I've got this. Just tell me where he's at."

Maka closed her eyes again, and said, "He's in the left hand corner, by the stack of crates." Robert noticed the corner and focused.

"Soul Resonance!" A strong force built up around Robert as the Resonance rate increased. This gave Maka her chance. She focused as well and began to use Soul Perception. His soul became visible, and she was almost surprised by its size. It was big as Stein's, with several criss-crossing chains and three spikes on each side. However, one thing caught her eye; a patch of red in one corner. It appeared to be circular, but it was just barely there. She ended the Soul Perception and heard Robert say, "Bladed Fury!" Robert smashed Stone-Hammer into the ground, and nothing happened for a moment. The the crates exploded as blades similar to Stone-Hammer's sword form shot up from the ground, tearing up and destroying the crates, but not the 26th person. "I thought you said it was that corner," Robert half-shouted, turning to Maka.

"I did, he must have moved." Robert noticed a glint behind her and saw the mask. It was shaped like an Oni (A/N: that's what the little ogre is supposed to be) and its mouth was wide open with sharpened fangs and two tusks on the lower half of the mouth. The figure dashed straight for Maka, and Robert dashed as well. Robert reached her first, and pushed her away, but the figure didn't alter his course. Instead, he threw his head down onto Robert's right arm, the teeth digging into the muscle. Robert screamed in pain, and the figure pulled away, tearing the arm in the process. Robert fell to the floor, holding his limp arm, and Stone-Hammer fell out of his hand. He transformed again, and pummeled the figure until he was just a Kishin egg, then ate it in a single bite.

Maka went over to Robert and picked him up. She noticed his arm was gushing blood and said, "Come on, we need to go." Robert tried to walk, but was only able to do so much. He stumbled a few times, but they were able to make it to the door. Maka had Stone-Hammer hold Robert in his arms and she used Soul to write on the door frame. "46-52-424, go to the Dispensary using Death's Door." The white expanse flashed and they hurried through the door, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

* * *

**Ha ha! I told you it would pick up. Also, picture update, Robert's soul described in this chapter. R&R, PM, and goodbye!**


	7. Injury: Robert Saved by a Witch?

**Triple Update! R&R, PM, and Enjoy again, again!**

* * *

Chapter 7

**DWMA, Outside Dispensary, 8:23pm**

It had been almost two hours since they arrived at the Dispensary. Maka had to explain to Nurse Nygus what had happened to him, and she asked the three of them to wait outside. During that time, they had heard screams of agony coming from inside, and they made Maka shiver with fear. The screaming suddenly stopped and Maka looked up. She thought Robert might have died, but the screaming continued a moment later. Maka sighed, and looked beside her. Soul was sitting next to her on the bench, and Stone-Hammer was sitting on the floor.

"Maka, relax," Soul said without looking up. "Robert's tough like nails. He'll pull through." Maka gripped her arm, noticing she still had Robert's trench coat on. She sniffled a couple times, feeling a few tears drop.

"It was just like with you," Maka said.

Soul turned to his meister and said, "Excuse me?"

"You put yourself between me and certain death the first time we faced Crona and Ragnarok. He did the same thing."

Soul smirked and said, "Yeah, guess he did." The screaming stopped again, and Maka looked up. Nurse Nygus came through, with Sid, a zombie and former teacher, and Dr. Stein behind her, and the three stood. "How is he?" Maka asked timidly.

"Well," Nygus started, "there's good news, and bad news."

"Good news, we successfully stopped his bleeding in time and put his arm and shoulder in a cast," Dr. Stein said.

"And the bad news?" Maka asked.

They were all silent for a minute, then Nygus said, "The muscle in his upper arm is completely torn. Entire chunks of it were missing."

Sid stepped forward a little and said, "I'm sorry, his right arm is useless." Frantic footsteps could be heard down the hall, and Maka turned to see Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz and Patty running towards them.

They stopped in front of them and Kid said, "I saw the battle from the viewing mirror and brought Black*Star and Tsubaki with me."

"Is he okay?" Tsubaki asked, worry in her voice. Maka almost burst into tears when more footsteps were heard and a woman in a yellow dress and stilettos came running up to them.

"Where is he? Where's my son?"

"Calm down, Mrs. Greenwood," Dr. Stein said, "your son is resting now, so you shouldn't disturb him."

Robert's mother burst into tears, and she began to cry out, "Oh, my baby boy! This is all my fault, I should have been there with him!" She began to cry harder, and Maka stopped crying for a moment.

"He was very brave and clever, you know. He made them confused and scared, enough for me to finish most of them off."

Ms. Greenwood momentarily calmed down, and said through small sobs, "Th-thank you. I wish Robert could be more like you."

Before Maka could correct her, Sid stepped forward and said, "It's been a busy day. We'll talk more about this in the morning. Right now you need rest." He turned to Ms. Greenwood and said, "Ma'am, you're more than welcome to stay in Death City until your son is feeling better." She nodded and said, "Thank you Sid. I'll probably be down at Chupa Cabra's for an hour or so, and then find a motel for the night." Sid nodded and urged them forward. Maka turned to the Dispensary one last time, and made a hopeful wish that Robert would be alright.

**DWMA, Inside Dispensary, 8:33pm**

Robert was on one of the hospital beds, asleep. Nurse Nygus had given him a sedative to relax during the operation, but even then it still hurt like hell. Only after the operation was he able to rest. His entire right arm and shoulder was in a cast, only his hand was free. He was lucky to have survived. Then, the window on the opposite end of the room opened, but no one was there. Then, a figure (I won't say who) climbed in and walked over to the unconscious Robert. The figure noticed his immobile arm, and said, "How unfortunate. You can't even do anything now." He moved to the side where his arm was and touched it. "Unfortunate indeed." He gripped the cast harder.

"Soul Protect, Release."

**DWMA, Hallway, 8:37pm**

Maka gasped slightly, and Sid said, "Maka, what's wrong?" She turned in the direction they came from, and used Soul Perception.

Her face grew grim and she said, "Witch."

Everyone's attention was now on Maka, and Sid asked, "Where, in Death City?"

Maka's eyes grew wider, and she almost whispered, "The Dispensary." Everyone was now on high alert, and Maka was the first to run back.

"A witch inside DWMA?" Sid yelled, "Is that even possible now?"

Stein replied, "We'll worry about that later, right now we need to get to the Dispensary." They found the door, and Maka leaped into the air, kicking the door down.

**DWMA, Inside Dispensary, 8:37pm**

"There, it's done. Now, a gift." The figure had finished the spell and pulled out a necklace. It was chain linked with dog-tag chains. At the end of it was a small silver charm. It was shaped like a normal soul, and had a blue topaz core in the center. The figure wrapped it around Robert's neck and went back to the window. As he came to the window, the door crashed open and the figure jumped out and flew away. Sid ran to the window and saw the figure, and sighed.

"Gone." He turned to Robert, and the lights turned on. "How is he?" Nygus was using a special tool, one used to examine patients for traces of magic that had been put on them.

"That's strange," she said, "I am picking up a spell, but it's all concentrated on his arm. On top of that-"

A groan from Robert caught everyone's attention. Robert's eyes partly opened, and he smiled at them. "Hi guys," he said weakly, waving his hand.

His _right_ hand.

"Robert, your arm..." Maka said, her sentence trailing off.

"Yeah, what about it?" Nygus grabbed a pair of surgical scissors and began to cut the cast away. Bit by bit it came off. Once it reached the upper arm, everyone was shocked. Where everyone expected a large, bleeding, open wound was skin. Nygus took off the rest of the cast and Robert sat up uneasily. Nurse Nygus asked him to move his arm a little, and he did so with ease.

Everyone was surprised, and Ms. Greenwood half-sobbed, "Oh, my baby." She went up to him and hugged him tightly continuing to bawl, "I thought I lost you. Please don't do that to me again."

Tears were running down her face and Robert said, "I'm okay, Mom. Really." He hugged her back and she stopped crying for a moment.

"You're hugging me back? You haven't hugged me since your father left."

Robert smirked and said, "Maybe I've got a new perspective on things." She released Robert and he looked to Maka. "Hey, Maka," he asked, "when did you say that party was? The 'Welcome to DWMA' party?"

Maka was a bit surprised and said, "Well, it was supposed to be tommorow after school, but-"

"I'll be there."

"Wait, what?" She asked, surprised.

"I said, I'll be there." Maka was speechless for the most part, and Robert stood up fully. He flexed and moved his arm around, saying, "I'm a bit tired. Is it alright if I go home?" Nygus looked to Stein, who nodded his head.

"Alright," she said, turning back to him, "but if you feel anything in your arm, I want you to report here first, understood?"

Robert nodded his head, and walked through the small crowd. Stone-Hammer was following close behind, and Robert said, "You know Stone-Hammer, maybe we could stay here for a while longer." Stone-Hammer grunted in surprise, and Robert continued, "I still want to go home, but we're in no rush. Why not do a few missions, get us back on track to making you a Death Scythe? Maybe even me if we have the time." They continued to walk until they reached the exit and left DWMA.

* * *

**Okay, so that's as far as I got for now. R&R, PM, and :P (ha ha, sorry, had to do that).**


	8. The Party: Robert's Earth Crushing Move?

**Hey, took me a while to put this together, but chapter 8 is finally done. Crona is introduced in this chapter, and I refer to him as a boy. R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8

**Death City, Robert and Stone-Hammer's apartment, 6am**

The alarm clock sounded and Robert slammed the off button on the alarm clock. Robert got up and stretched for a moment. He looked at his arm, making sure it was still in one piece. He sighed and looked at his bedside table. He grabbed his glasses and put them on (yes, I mentioned he had glasses in the first chapter), then picked up the charm necklace. He had no idea how he got it, but it seemed familiar somehow. He put it around his neck and felt energized all of a sudden. He jumped out, literally, of bed and turned on his stereo. The song Holiday by Green Day began to play (try saying that five times fast), and he began to rhythmically move to the song, getting dressed. Once he finished, he let the stereo continue to play and he went into the living room. He found Stone-Hammer on the couch half asleep, and half shouted, "Wake up, we got a big day today."

Stone-Hammer grunted and got up. After finishing their MREs, they went to DWMA and began their exercises. "I'm telling you man," Robert said while doing his second set of push-ups, Stone-Hammer sitting on his back, "ever since yesterday I've been in a good mood. I don't know if it was that masked guy that tore my arm or the near death experience it gave me, but something just clicked." Stone-Hammer got off of Robert as he finished and they began to do their laps. "I mean, it's like all that hatred inside me just went 'Poof' and disappeared. Ever since..." He stopped and reached up to the charm necklace, holding the soul charm. "Ever since I got this necklace." He took the necklace off and looked at it. It seemed to be normal, but he noticed something small along the edge. A momentary nudge from Stone-Hammer brought him out of his thoughts, and he said, "I'm okay, Stone-Hammer." He put the necklace back on despite what he saw and continued, "It's nothing."

They continued their workout until about 8:30, at which point Robert sat down on the ground, panting. He wiped his forehead, and felt his hand become covered with sweat. "Still, maybe this party won't be so bad." Realization dawned on him and he groaned. "I forgot, we have no clue where the party is or what time it starts."

"Our apartment, 5:30," a sudden voice said from behind them. Robert was startled, which rarely happened, and he turned to see Maka and Soul behind them.

"Whew, its only you. I thought for a moment you were someone else." Maka smiled and sat down next to Robert.

"So, can I ask you something?"

Robert put his hands behind his head, and replied, "Yeah, sure. Just as long as it's nothing too personal."

"Well, at first, you were secluded and far away from everyone else. You even sliced the invitation to the party in half. Now, you're suddenly friendly and sociable." Robert slightly frowned, and Maka thought to herself, _'Oh, maybe I shouldn't have asked that.' _

"It's complicated," Robert said. He gripped his hands, and looked up at the sky. "I guess it all started when my family got broken up. My dad was the greatest, he never really complained about anything, my mom was caring and brought us to a lot of fun vacation spots." Memories of him and his parents began to flash through his mind; going on roller coasters, playing at beaches, visiting famous landmarks. "Then, everything just broke apart."

Maka turned her full attention to Robert, who lowered his head, a frown clearly visible on his face. "One night, Dad and I came home early from our annual Father/Son trip up to Indianapolis. He found Mom with another man, and everything went downhill." Robert's hand went up to the charm necklace and he gripped it tight. "Dad became angry, and he beat the man up and literally threw him out the window."

"He was that angry?"

Robert nodded, and continued, "It was all fuzzy, but I can remember that Dad was really angry. He shouted at Mom, threatened her even. Then, something happened." Robert tightened his grip, his already white knuckles turning whiter.

"What?" Maka asked, almost afraid to know the answer. Before Robert could answer, Black*Star, Kid, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty arrived.

"Hey guys, why are you here so early?" Black*Star asked. Robert looked at his watch and noticed it was already 8:49.

He stood up and said, "Sorry, I've got to go. We'll talk more at the party, bye!" He and Stone-Hammer raced through the doors. The others looked on as Robert escaped them once again, just as he was about to open up to them. Maka stood and sighed.

"We might as well go in as well."

* * *

**DWMA, Robert and Stone-Hammer's Lockers, 5:09pm**

Robert slammed the side of his fist into his locker, cursing. "We can't open ourselves up like this anymore, Stone-Hammer." Stone-Hammer grunted in agreement. "We got careless, and I was about to spill my guts." He began to dig through his locker, placing and retrieving books and items from his locker. "It was all because of that necklace." He found the charm and pulled it out, revealing the entire necklace. "I can't use Soul Perception like Maka or Dr. Stein, but even I can tell this was infused with magic." He held the charm up to his eye, and felt the magic's effect, designed to put anyone who wears it in a good, cheery mood. "As far as I can tell," Robert said, putting the necklace on, "it isn't cursed, but it can make me say things I ought not to."

He felt the magic begin to take effect, and he slipped it under his red shirt. Robert's grim expression turned into a small smile, and said, "Okay we should head to Maka and Soul's place. We promised to be there." Stone-Hammer nodded and turned into his sword form, and was sheathed. Robert walked out of DWMA and proceeded to run the rest of the way. He went into his and Stone-Hammer's apartment first so they could drop off their stuff. Robert unsheathed Stone-Hammer and tossed him on the couch. He transformed and sat up.

"Do you think we should bring anything?" Robert asked, looking through the pantry and refrigerator. "We have soda and chips, but that's for when we make you a Death Scythe." Stone-Hammer grunted and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess we could buy some more later," Robert replied. He pulled out four 2-liter bottles and set them on the table: two Coca-Colas, one Mountain Dew, and one Dr. Pepper. He pulled three bags of chips from the top shelf, Lays Original, Barbecue, and Sour Cream and Onion, and also set them on the table. He looked at the clock.

"5:27, better go now." Robert carried the bags of chips while Stone-Hammer carried the soda. They left their apartment and knocked on the door to Maka and Soul's.

* * *

**Death City, Maka and Soul's apartment, 5:29pm**

A knock on the door alerted Maka that someone else had arrived. She looked through the peep hole and saw it was Robert and Stone-Hammer, carrying soda and chips. Maka unlocked the door and opened it. "Hey, you made it," Maka said.

"Yeah," Robert said. "We, uh, brought some chips and soda. Just in case you, uh, needed it," Robert said, unsteadily.

"It's no problem. Come on in." Maka led the two inside, and called out, "Hey, look who made it." Robert was greeted by many familiar faces.

"Okay, so this is Black*Star and Tsubaki," Maka introduced first.

Black*Star smirked at them and said, "Nice to meet ya, now bow before your god!"

Tsubaki sighed, and Maka said quietly to Robert, "Don't hesitate to knock him out if he starts rambling." Tsubaki pulled Black*Star away from Robert, and Maka introduced Robert to Kid, Liz and Patty.

"Robert, this is Death the Kid, or Kid as we call him, and his partners Liz and Patty."

"Yeah, I've heard about you guys. You're Lord Death's son."

Kid nodded, and Patty exclaimed, "Hi! I'm Patty!"

Robert smiled and said, "Hi." Patty went to Stone-Hammer and gave the same greeting.

"Excuse my sister," Liz said, "at times she can be a bit of a handful."

Robert overheard Patty say to Stone-Hammer, "Do you like giraffes?" which Stone-Hammer grunted in reply, most likely with a nod. Patty cheered and began to lead Stone-Hammer towards the living room.

Stone-Hammer shot a questioning glance at Robert, and he just said, "Go on, big guy." Stone-Hammer smiled and followed Patty.

"And last, but not least, Crona." Robert turned smiling, but his smile dropped when he saw Crona. He was very thin with pinkish hair and gray eyes. He constantly held his right arm, as if it were injured, and he had a grim expression plastered on his face. When Crona saw him, he slightly gasped.

Everything was silent between the two of them for a solid two minutes before Crona said, "You look...familiar."

"So do you," Robert replied. "Excuse me, for a moment." Robert walked away from Crona, turning to spare glances at the boy he met. He eventually found the bathroom, with Soul's help, and locked the door. He went to the sink and ran some cold water. He held his hands under the water and splashed his face, rubbing it into his face. "Why?" Robert said to himself. "Why does he look so familiar? I know I saw him somewhere. But where?" He heard a small sound, like a crack and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and he turned back to the mirror. "Just calm down, Robert. Clear your head and it'll be alright." He breathed deeply, then dried his face before leaving the bathroom.

He found Maka again, and she asked, "Hey, what happened? It looked like you guys had a silent staring contest."

Robert rubbed his eyes and said, "Its nothing." A sudden outburst from Kid caught everyone's attention.

"Kid," Liz said, already at his side, "what is it?" Kid was shaking, and said quietly, "I just remembered. I forgot to adjust the crooked painting I noticed today!"

Everyone sweat dropped and Robert asked Maka, "What's his problem?"

"He's got OCD. If anything isn't symmetrical, he flips out."

Robert thought for a moment, then said, "Then does he know about..." he pointed at his hair, and Maka nodded. Robert thought for a moment again, and a devilish grin appeared on his face. "I've got an idea." Robert went into the hallway, Maka following, and pulled out a scrap piece of paper. He began to fold it until he made a paper airplane. He checked and double checked, and said, "Okay, one symmetrical airplane. Now for the finishing touch." He pulled out a Sharpie he had in his pocket and began to write something on the bottom of the plane. Once finished, he showed it to Maka, who got the same devilish grin. Robert tossed the plane straight at Kid, hitting him in the back of the head. He turned and noticed the airplane, and picked it up.

He examined it and said, "Amazing, this airplane is perfectly symmetrical." Robert smirked as he watched Kid turn the airplane over. Kid's face went blank all of a sudden, and just as fast went into an outrage. "Who created this monstrosity!? Who dares defile this perfectly symmetrical piece of art with such an asymmetrical horror!?" Everyone's attention was now on Kid as he showed what was on the bottom of the plane: a number 7.

Robert and Maka burst out laughing, causing Kid to glare in their direction. "You!? You made this abomination!?"

Robert continued laughing as he said, "Guilty." The others joined in on the joke, except for Kid.

"This is nothing to joke about!" Kid shouted over the din of laughter. "You have defiled a piece of art!"

Robert stopped laughing and said, "Relax dude, it's nothing to get worked up over." Kid was about to blow up in his face when Black*Star jumped in.

"Hang on, your god knows how to settle this dispute!" he exclaimed.

"Uh, Black*Star," Maka said, "anything you suggest almost always-"

"DUEL!" Black*Star interrupted, shouting as loud as he could.

It was silent for a moment, until Kid said, "While that does sound like an optimal solution, a teacher must be present to supervise." Black*Star cursed under his breath, and a knock came from the door. Maka answered it to reveal Ms. Mjiolnir and Dr. Stein.

"Sorry we're late," Ms. Mjiolnir said, "I had to convince Stein to come along."

Black*Star grinned wildly, shouting, "Alright! Duel Time!"

* * *

**Death City, Outskirts, 7:17pm**

Everyone had gathered outside of Death City at Robert's request. Instead of Kid and Robert fighting, Robert had also requested Maka and Black*Star face him as well. At first, Maka had objected, saying it was unfair, but Marie convinced them.

"Trust me, you'll stand a better chance."

The meisters were preparing themselves, and Stein said, "Okay, ready?" Black*Star, Maka and Kid took their positions, Tsubaki, Soul, Liz and Patti in weapon form. Robert popped his knuckles as Stone-Hammer transformed into his war hammer form.

"Okay, so should we draw it out, or finish them off now?" Stone-Hammer grunted twice, and Robert smirked. "Finish them now, I know just how to do it." He grabbed Stone-Hammer, and the three charged.

"Speed Star!" Black*Star shouted. Black*Star ran around Robert in circles, gaining speed and kicking up dust and temporarily blinding Robert. Kid moved behind Robert, and Maka to his right. Black*Star stopped running and stopped at Robert's left. The dust settled, and Robert found himself surrounded. "Game over," Black*Star said. Robert looked around, noticing Maka and Kid's positions, then smirked.

He slammed Stone-Hammer's handle into the ground, and shouted, "Soul Resonance!" Robert picked up Stone-Hammer and slammed him into the ground, forcing him into the air. "Earth Crusher!" Robert hefted Stone-Hammer into the air, and the head of the hammer began to glow. It began to slowly increase in size, and the three meisters below watched in horror. The head suddenly grew at once, reaching its final size, a cubic mile. Robert was trying his best to keep it under control, and managed to shout, "I win!" He threw down Stone-Hammer, bringing the massive glowing stone with it. The three meisters, Stein, Marie and Crona all ran as fast as they could to outrun the behemoth. Before it could fully go down, Robert felt immense pain. The Resonance technique faded, and Robert fell into free fall 100 feet above ground.

Stone-Hammer was able to transform and grabbed Robert mid-drop. He turned him over so Robert was on top, and crashed into the ground. Everyone ran back to them and found Stone-Hammer gripping an unconscious Robert in a three foot deep crater. Stone-Hammer climbed out and placed Robert on the ground. Ms. Marie came up and moved an ear over his mouth.

"He's still breathing. I can't believe he had a technique that powerful."

Maka and the others came over to him and Maka asked, "Is he going to be alright?"

Ms. Marie nodded her head, and said, "Yes, he'll be fine. But the magnitude of that technique, I can't even do that." Robert stirred for a moment, and coughed. He groaned for a moment, and sat up.

"What happened? I feel like I got hit by a bus." Black*Star was speechless, and Kid was looking towards Death City.

"You just did the most powerful Soul Resonance technique I had ever seen," Maka said.

Robert was rubbing his arm, and said, "Really? How powerful?"

"If you had succeeded," Dr. Stein said, "it could have destroyed Death City itself, if not an entire section of Nevada." Robert stood, even though Ms. Marie objected.

Stone-Hammer supported him, and he said, "I think that's enough excitement for one day." The others agreed and Robert was able to walk on his own.

* * *

**Death City, Chupa Cabra's, 8:26pm**

Janet was at Chupa Cabra's, having a drink and looking for a guy or two. She had downed her tenth shot, and felt the mind numbing alcohol take effect. "Another, please," she said when the bartender passed by. She began to think about how Robert's attitude had changed, and thought to herself, _'Only one thing could cause that.'_

Before she could finish her thought, the door to Chupa Cabra's opened, and a man said, "Barkeep, the usual please."

Janet looked over at the man and thought, _'Ooh, he's a looker. Time for the sad single mother to make her move.'_ Janet began to sniffle, and muttered to herself, "Robert...why?"

Her sniffling caught the man's attention, who said, "Hey, you alright?"

She turned to the man and said, "Oh, yeah, I'm alright. It's just, my son...he...he..." She turned and burst into tears. Just as she thought the man tried to comfort her.

"Hey, it's okay. I have the same problem with my daughter. Here, let me buy you a drink."

Janet sniffled and said, "Thanks, what's your name?"

"Spirit, Spirit Albarn."

* * *

**BOOM! Dropped a bomb on that one! R&R, PM, and KABOOM!**


	9. New Mission: Robert's Secret Revealed?

**Hey, I'm back for a couple days, and I have been writing a lot lately. So, in this chapter, we drop the big bomb. R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9

**DWMA, Courtyard, 5:12pm**

The next day, Robert was feeling better. He had made friends with Crona, even though they still felt uneasy towards each other. At one point, Robert had an encounter with Ragnarok, which was a bit...eventful.

_**Flashback, previous day**_  
Robert was walking back to his apartment, Stone-Hammer in tow, and Crona caught up with them. "Hey, that was a pretty good fight. I didn't think you could do that."

Robert smirked and said, "Well, thanks, I guess." All of a sudden, Crona's back exploded and a miniature Ragnarok appeared on his back. Robert was slightly freaked out, even more so when Ragnarok leaned in, looking at him.

"Hmm," he said to himself. Robert noticed the others had stopped, apparently watching the scene play out. Ragnarok had a look of realization and shouted, "I know who you are! You're the-" Ragnarok was stopped mid-sentence as Robert grabbed the X on Ragnarok's face and pulled him down so he was eye level with Robert.

"Listen to me, you tiny little black-head (that's a form of acne, not a racy remark), you say anything to them about me and I swear I'll rip that X off and shove it up your-" Stone-Hammer placed a hand on Robert, and he calmed down. "Now listen, back at my apartment I have a five-pound bag of gummy bears. Keep quiet, and its yours. Deal?"

Ragnarok shook his head wildly, and Robert let go. Once they arrived back at the apartment, Robert stayed true to his word and gave Ragnarok a five-pound bag of gummy bears.  
_**End flashback**_

Robert had just left DWMA and was heading back to his apartment, thinking about yesterday's events. When he arrived at the door, he noticed a small package next to his door. He picked it up and opened the door, tossing Stone-Hammer on the couch. He noticed the return address: Janet Greenwood. He opened the package to reveal a class ring. He pulled it out and examined it. It was made with crimson gold, and had a sapphire gemstone. Around the gemstone were the letters "DWMA" in wide print. On one side was a sword with "Robert" along the top, and on the other was a war hammer with "Meister" along the top. He figured out it was supposed to read, "DWMA Meister, Robert".

He slipped it on his right-hand ring finger, fitting like a glove. He smiled for a moment, then went to his room. He pulled the ring and the necklace off and set them on his dresser, next to the stereo. He grabbed a case and put the CD in, the same one from his training session with Ms. Mjiolnir. He selected the desired track and changed into a sleeveless gray t-shirt and black basketball shorts. He pressed play and the song Monster by Skillet began.

* * *

**Death City, Outside Maka and Soul's apartment, 5:18pm**

Maka and Soul had just arrived at their apartment, and could hear the faint sound of rock music playing. "You go on in," Maka said to Soul, "I need to check on something."

"Alright, do what you gotta do," was Soul's only reply. Soul went into their apartment and Maka knocked on Robert and Stone-Hammer's door.

It was Stone-Hammer who answered, and Maka asked, "Hi Stone-Hammer. Is Robert home?"

Stone-Hammer nodded and Robert shouted from the other room, "Stone-Hammer, who is it?"

"Kama!" Stone-hammer said in a very deep voice.

Maka giggled a bit and said, "It's Maka."

Stone-Hammer made an "Oh", noise and said, "Maka!"

The music stopped and Robert asked, "What does she want?"

"Tell him I just want to talk," Maka said to Stone-Hammer, and he called out, "Talk!"

The sound of impacts could be heard, and Robert called out, "Let her in." Stone-Hammer stepped to one side, and Maka entered their apartment. "There's some soda left over in the fridge if you want some," Robert called out again, the impacts much louder than before. Maka opened the fridge and grabbed a can of Coca-Cola. She sat down on the couch, opening the can of soda. The impacts grew louder, and faster. A succession of five rapid impacts sounded, then a large thud. Robert cursed and said, "Not another one. Cheap piece of crap." A few moments later, Robert came through the doorway, and said, "The bag broke again, this time at the top and all the way through. I'm gonna have to go into town later and buy a new one."

He went into the kitchen and Maka heard Robert mutter under his breath, "Durability guaranteed, my-GAH!" He pulled his head out of the fridge and rubbed the top of is head. Maka laughed a bit, and Robert sighed. "Yeah, ha ha ha, laugh it up." He sat down and opened his can of Mountain Dew and taking a large gulp. "So, what brings you here?"

Maka was silent for a moment, and said, "Well, I'm actually a bit nervous to ask now, but..."

"You still want to know about my past?" Robert finished. Maka was surprised a little, and watched as Robert finished his soda. He placed the can on the ground and used his foot to crush it, then bent down to pick it up. He leaned back and tossed the crushed can into the trash, nothing but the bag. "I could sit here like a college professor and give an hour long history lecture, but I'll make it simple." He leaned forward and held up three fingers. "Monster, Hero, and Awake and Alive. All by Skillet. Listen, and you'll understand."

Maka was a bit confused, but then said, "Can't you just tell me? Why be all cryptic?" Robert sighed. He was about to say something, when a sudden pinging noise caught his attention. He stood up and went into his room, Maka and Stone-Hammer following. The mirror in his room was glowing and Robert touched it.

Lord Death appeared in the mirror, and said, "Hiya Meister Robert. How are things?"

"It's all fine, is something wrong?" "Actually, there is," Lord Death said, his foam hands appearing. "In a northern Siberian village, two witches are causing a lot of trouble. Oh, Maka. Good, you can help him. Anyways, they've gathered an army of Kishin eggs, some of which have consumed quite a lot of souls."

"We'll get right on it, sir," Robert replied, giving an army salute.

"Hold on, first of all, since neither of you have collected the required amount of Kishin eggs, the witch souls will be confiscated, but you may split the Kishin eggs evenly. I'll make a Death Door for you."

"Wait," Maka said, "I need to get Soul and some other stuff."

"Fine, fine, I'll tell Robert the location while you get prepared." Maka nodded and left the apartment. She went into her own and called out, "Soul, come on! We got a mission!" She grabbed a warm coat and a bag of supplies.

Soul came out of his room, asking, "Maka? What do you mean mission?"

"Just come on!" Maka and Soul went into Robert's apartment, who had also gotten ready.

"Alright, ready?" Maka nodded her head and they all gathered in Robert's room. Robert inscribed the numbers and recited the location, and the door flashed. They went through and found themselves in a snow storm. Robert and Maka put on their coats, and Soul and Stone-Hammer turned into their weapon forms. Robert looked at the scenery around them, and noticed the village they had entered. The entire village was in ruins; homes were torn apart, fires and snow burned or covered their remains, and bodies were everywhere.

Maka closed her eyes, and said, "Head north, there's a large concentration of Kishin eggs that way." Robert pulled a pair of binoculars from his bag and looked north. He focused the lens and could see several human forms climbing the mountain, led by two robed figures.

"I see them, they're on the mountainside. Here, take my hand and don't let go." Robert held out his hand and Maka reluctantly took it. Robert unsheathed Stone-Hammer and said, "Soul Resonance! Thousand Striker!" At first, nothing seemed to happen, and Robert said, "Don't let go of me, or you'll be left behind."

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Robert pointed to the flames, and Maka noticed that they weren't moving.

"The Soul Resonance technique I used makes me go fast enough that time seems to slow down, but we don't have much time. Hop on." Robert knelt and Maka climbed on his back. Robert sprinted towards the mountain, then began to jump up the side of the mountain.

"How is this possible?" Maka asked.

Robert continued jumping, and said, "Well, I've trained like an army man, so that explains the majority. The rest is, uh, kind of tied in with my past." Robert jumped one last time, and they found themselves on the same ledge as the army. Robert dashed forward to the other side, taking cover behind some large rocks. "Time's up." Robert let go of Maka and quickly sheathed Stone-Hammer. He looked around the corner and saw the two witches leading the army. "Okay," he whispered, "get ready. On my signal, attack." They waited until they were only a couple feet away, then Robert nodded his head once. Maka jumped to the side while Robert jumped over the rocks. The army and witches stopped and Robert shouted, "Soul Resonance! Thousand Striker!" He instantly teleported to the back of the group, and the entire army of Kishin eggs fell.

The witches were still there, and Maka said, "Alright, give up now. We'll be taking your souls now." The witches began to chuckle in unison, and Robert observed the two. One was wearing an orange robe with streaks of black, and the other was white with streaks of black.

"Fools, you have not put the odds back into your favor," the orange robed witch said.

"You have only slowed your demise," the white robed witch said.

Robert unsheathed Stone-Hammer and pointed it at the two, "It will be your demise, not ours." The orange robed witch turned to him and said, "Oh look sister,"

The white robed witch also turned, "Yes, I see." The two fully turned to him and said in unison, "So, you think you can defeat us? You don't stand a chance boy! Tigra, tigra, TIGROAR!" A powerful sound wave shot towards Robert, who fell to his knees gripping his ears.

"Oh no you don't!" Maka shouted from behind them. "Soul Resonance! Witch Hunter!" The sound attack stopped as the witches turned their attention to Maka and Soul. The scythe weapon had changed, turning into a crescent moon shape. Maka swung Soul at the two witches, but it only managed to push them back.

"Meddling girl!" The orange robed witch said.

"Wait sister, look at the boy for a moment." The two witches turned to Robert, who's left ear was bleeding.

"Doesn't he..." the orange robed witch said.

"Yes, I sensed it too," the white robed witch said. "Tell me boy, what is your name?"

"I am Robert Greenwood, war hammer/sword meister."

The orange robed witch gasped, "You! I knew your father! He was the one who killed mother!"

"Yes, I remember too," the white robed witch said, "but there was also another thing, remember?"

The two witches smirked for a moment, and the orange robed witch said, "Oh, yes. I had almost forgotten."

"Don't you dare! I can finish you right now and it would only take four words!" Robert shouted.

"Don't you mean three?" the white robed witch said.

"NO! I mean four! Those three words together mean nothing to me!"

"Robert," Maka asked, "what are they talking about?"

The orange robed witch turned to her and said, "You don't know? My, my, you've been kept in the dark. Your partner is really-"

"SHUT UP!" Robert dashed forward and ran the orange robed witch through. The witch's body began to shrink until it was nothing but a soul. It disappeared, meaning Lord Death had confiscated it. However, the white robed witch was able to finish the sentence.

"-a witch!"

Time seemed to be frozen, only allowing the wind and snowflakes to move. Robert stood between the white robed witch and Maka, closer to the former, completely silent, head completely lowered.

"Robert?" Maka asked. Robert slowly looked up. "What is she saying? She's lying, right?" Robert gripped Stone-Hammer tightly, then let go. Stone-Hammer dropped to the ground with a small clang. Robert was heavily breathing in and out, crying a little.

"Soul Protect."

Maka inwardly gasped. It was true.

"Release!"

* * *

**O.O I don't think one "KABOOM" is enough. *Hides in bunker, then activates alarm.* "TACTIACAL NUKE, INCOMING!" *Nuke destroys half of North America. Climbs out of bunker unscathed* Okay, maybe that was too much. R&R, PM, and ANOTHER TACTICAL NUKE!**


	10. Robert's Outburst: A Quarter Witch?

**Okay, the bomb drop from last chapter, ha ha. Awesome. R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10

**Siberia, Mountain-side path, 7:52pm**

"Soul Protect. Release!" A powerful force swirled around Robert, pushing back both the white robed witch and Maka. Maka looked at Robert, and noticed he had a purple glow around him, like any witch does after releasing their Soul Protection. The swirl died down, and a small shock wave was released. Robert turned to the witch, hatred and rage clearly visible in his eyes. The white robed witch was laughing, and shouted, "You see, your friend was a traitor, a witch, and you had no idea!"

Robert focused on the witch, and said, "Pain."

Instantly, the witch screamed out, yelling "Traitor! Traitor!"

"Pain!" The witch fell to the ground and began to writhe around in the snow.

"PAIN!" The witch turned over and screamed, her body twisting and contorting. The witch stopped and fell flat on the ground.

"That's right, use your powers. It will only convince her more."

Robert didn't turn, but instead whispered, "Kill." The witch's chest exploded, all internal organs in the area turning to ash and dust. The witch's body shrank and turned into a soul, also flashing and disappearing. "Soul Protect activate," Robert whispered. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, and began to cry. Maka was silent for the entire time, just staring at Robert. Robert cried for an entire five minutes before he stood and retrieved Stone-Hammer. He walked over to the edge and dropped down to the nearest ledge.

Maka ran to where Robert was and looked down. Robert was still on the ledge and Maka dropped down as well. "Robert, wait." He stopped, and Maka said, "Look, I don't care if what the witches said was true or not, but we should see Lord Death." Robert nodded, and knelt down. Maka got on and Robert proceeded to move down the mountainside. _'He's a witch?'_ Maka thought to herself._ 'Well, Crona is technically a witch too, but he never showed any magic powers. Robert, though, he only said a few words and the witch was dead.'_ Robert jumped down to the final ledge and then onto the ground, and let Maka get off. _'I won't ask him questions. Not until we meet Lord Death.'_

A sudden thought occurred to Maka, "Wait, we forgot about the Kishin egg souls." Robert shook his head and opened his pack. He pulled out a net, filled with the Kishin egg souls.

"I counted. 36 total, 18 each." Soul had transformed and Robert handed him the Kishin eggs, which went down his throat one by one. Robert pointed Stone-Hammer's handle gem and the last 18 were absorbed. He continued to walk, as did Maka and Soul. They arrived back at the village and found the doorway they had come through was already open. Robert and Maka didn't slow their pace, and they walked through. They found themselves in the Death Room, in front of the platform. Lord Death was standing in front of them, facing the mirror.

"Ah, Meisters Maka and Robert!" Lord Death said, turning to them. "I assume it was a success?" Robert nodded, and Maka stepped forward.

"Lord Death, I, uh, found out about, uh..."

"Yes, yes I know," Lord Death said. "It's true, Robert is a witch. He's 1/4th witch, but still witch blood is in his veins." Robert walked to the side of the platform and sat down.

"My grandmother was a shark witch. She had a son, a half witch; my dad. At first, he never showed any signs of magical abilities, and was abandoned at the age of 10. He was taken in by DWMA, living here for five years before he found his partner; my mom." Maka sat down next to him, and he continued, "Three years later, Mom became a Death Scythe, and on that day, Dad proposed to her. Mom accepted and a year later they had a son, me."

"So, when your dad found out she was cheating on him," Maka started, and Robert finished, "His powers awakened."

"Both Robert and his father, Joseph, are rare cases," Lord Death interrupted. "Normally, a witch's powers are based on a certain animal, but their magic is based on emotion. Anger, joy, pride, envy, any emotion he can turn into magic."

"So, when did your powers awaken?" Maka asked.

"A few weeks after me and Stone-Hammer became a weapon/meister pair. Stone-Hammer didn't really care, mostly because we considered ourselves brothers." Robert dug into his pocket and pulled out a seed. It began to crack open, a sprout starting to grow. "I know that if I'm calm, I can control my powers and do good." The sprout grew into a flower, an orchid. Maka was admiring it, when it began to wither. "But every time," Robert said, his voice sounding upset, "something in my life goes wrong and I just-just-" the flower fully withered and burst into flames. Robert shouted in anger, and when he finished the flower was a pile of ashes. Robert threw the ashes, and held his head in his hands. He began breathing heavily, trying to keep himself under control. Maka tried to comfort him, and it seemed to help. Robert started twisting the ring on his finger, then pulled out his charm necklace. "This necklace, it belonged to my Dad. That means he was the one who came to the Dispensary. He healed my arm." He touched his arm and began to rub it, as if expecting it to come off. "I had to keep my identity hidden, because if people knew what I really was, they would try to take my soul."

"Robert, that's complete nonsense," Lord Death interrupted again. "Your soul wouldn't be counted as a witch soul, because it isn't fully a witch soul." Robert sniffled, then smiled.

He stood up, and said, "Thank you for talking with us, Lord Death. I just hope the others will be just as accepting, more so with Kid."

Lord Death waved one of his large hands back and forth, "Oh, don't worry. As long as I'm still here, you are in safe hands." Robert smiled then bowed. He turned and left the Death Room, Maka following him.

"Well, today certainly was eventful," Robert said.

"Yeah, guess so," Maka replied. They remained in awkward silence while they walked through DWMA. Once they left, Soul had already gone ahead and Maka finally broke the silence, "So, tomorrow after school, me and the others are going to Miami for the weekend. Would you like to come along?" Robert was about to say something when a loud noise came from down the street. Robert looked and saw two people, a man in a suit and a woman in a red dress, laughing. But the woman, she looked very much like...

"Mom?" The woman turned and it was Janet Greenwood.

"Oh, Robert! Hi!"

_'Great, another guy. How could this day get worse?'_

"I'd like you to meet Spirit." Now it was Maka's turn to be surprised.

"Dad?" The man turned, and it was Spirit Albarn.

"Maka! Nice seeing you here. Hey I've got some good news. From now on, no more women."

Both Maka and Robert were surprised, and Maka asked, "Why's that?" The two Death Scythes faced each other, smiling, and they kissed. Maka was stunned, but Robert looked as though he had been shot. More cracking noises could be heard, the source still undefinable.

Robert said, "Wait, no no no. Wh-what about Dad? He's still out there!" He pulled out the charm necklace and showed it to her. "He was the one who healed me, doesn't that mean anything?"

"Robert, it does, really. But we won't be getting back together. Not when I'm with Spirit."

Another crack and Spirit said, "Wait a sec, I know what's going on." Robert and Maka exchanged glances, and Spirit said, "I knew it, you two don't want us to go out with each other because you're going out with each other!" Maka and Robert both shouted out denials, and more cracking noises could be heard.

"We are not going out! I told you in the Death Room I had no romantic interest, whatsoever, with her!"

"Well that's good," Janet said, "because we have some big news." Robert and Maka stopped shouting and watched as Janet lifted up her left arm, showing off a dazzling ring. "We're getting married!"

Robert felt like his body had been blown up, and held a hand up to the charm necklace. All of a sudden, it broke into a thousand pieces. Emotions surged through him; Anger, rage, sorrow, every negative emotion one could think of. Robert was now visibly shaking, and said, "No. No! I refuse to believe it!" A nearby set of crates exploded.

"I have put up with five years of you coming home every day, with a new man each day!" A small vegetable vendor stand exploded, bits of veggies going in every direction.

"Every day since Dad left, I have been watching, waiting for him to arrive down the driveway, but every time it's just you with another guy!" The ground around Robert cracked.

"This, is, the final, straw!" Janet was in tears now, and Robert pulled off the ring from his finger.

"Robert, no. Please."

"You, are not, my, MOTHER!" He threw the ring as far as he could to his right, away from everyone else, and ran past them. Janet collapsed to the ground, tears bursting from her eyes like a waterfall. Maka was struck speechless, just like when Robert sliced the invitation in half and said all those things. Maka continued to watch as Robert ran out of Death City and disappeared.

Maka felt stiff as a statue, but forced herself to move forward. She walked past Ms. Greenwood, who said through sobs, "Wh-where are y-you going?"

"I'm going to find him," was Maka's only reply. She felt a hand grab her arm, and looked to see Ms. Greenwood on the ground.

"Please," she barely whispered. "Bring him back. He's all that I have left. Please." She let go of Maka, who nodded and ran in the direction Robert went.

* * *

**Ha ha ha ha! More KABOOM! R&R, PM, and...**

**(\(\**

**(='.')**

**((^)(^)**

**FLUFFY BUNNY! (Sorry, ran out of sign offs, only thing that came to mind)**


	11. Light 'Em Up: The Flames of Wrath?

**Hey, triple update! R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11

**Nevada, Desert, 9:47pm**

Robert was running. he had tossed Stone-Hammer away before leaving Death City so he could run faster and just be alone. By now, he was long behind him. Robert stopped in front of a mesa, trying to regain his breath. "It's not fair!" he shouted. "Everything is just falling apart." He clenched his hands and looked up. The side of the mesa was a bit craggy, and he turned around. He walked a few steps before immediately turning and punching the wall of stone. The side of the mesa cracked, and Robert pulled his hand back. His knuckles were bleeding, and he said, "Heal." His skin prickled and the wound began to close. The blood remained, and he wiped it on his shirt. He dropped his pack to the side and fell flat on his back, looking at the stars. He turned to his pack and opened it, pulling out his mp3 and a mini-speaker. He scrolled through his entire list of songs before he finally found something good. He adjusted the sound to max and clipped it to his pants, and Light 'Em Up by Fall Out Boy started.

* * *

**Nevada, With Maka, Soul, and Stone-Hammer, 9:45pm**

Maka and Soul had been tracking Robert for almost an hour using Maka's Soul Perception. Maka had to stop and find Soul so they could use his motorcycle, as well as restock their items. Before they even left Death City, they had found Stone-Hammer running through the streets. They offered him a ride, and he transformed into his sword form so he could be transported easier. Apparently, Robert was using a spell to make himself go faster, which left a trail for them to follow. "Keep going, we're getting closer," Maka said, trying to speak over the wind. Soul revved the engine on his motorcycle and began to go faster after a few minutes. They had to stop, noticing that they were standing on a plateau, with a few mesas ahead.

"Great," Soul said. "Now what?" Maka tried to think, but heard something echoing. She strained her ears and finally made it out.

Music.

Looking down at one of the mesas, she noticed someone was down there. _'Robert!'_ she thought to herself. She noticed he was moving around, what seemed to be a combination of martial arts and dance. As she watched, she also listened to the song that was echoing.

_Be careful making wishes in the dark, dark. Can't be sure when they've hit their mark, mark. And besides in the mean, mean time. I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart. I'm in the de-details with the devil. So now the world can never get me on my level. I just gotta get you out of your cage. I'm a young lover's rage. Gonna need a spark to ignite. My songs know what you did in the dark!_

Every time a large beat sounded, Robert hit the mesa closest to him, causing large splinters of rocks to break off and embedded themselves in the ground. He moved fluidly with the song, as if he were part of a music video. He stopped at the last part, holding up his fingers.

_So light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. I'm on fire! So light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. I'm on fire! In the dark, dark. In the dark, dark._

He snapped his fingers, causing the nearby rock splinters to explode. He then began to perform various punches and kicks, each one producing a wave of fire. He stopped when the vocalizations began, and the remaining rock splinters turned into either charcoal or ash.

_Writers keep writing what they write. Somewhere another pretty vein just dies. I've got the scars from tomorrow, and I wish you could see that you're the antidote to everything except for me. A constellation of tears on your lashes. Burn everything you love then burn the ashes. In the end, everything collides. My childhood spat back out the monster that you see. My songs know what you did in the dark!_

He went back to the previous routine, smashing the mesas each time a large beat sounded. However, this time he punched out entire slabs of rock. Four of the slabs fell in perfect sync, stood upright and connected once they landed. Two more slabs landed on top of the first four, giving the impression of a house. He stood in front of the house the stomped on the ground three times, making three rock statues appear. He jumped back, doing a flip and looked at his creation. At the last part, he held up both hands, clenched in fists.

_So light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. I'm on fire! So light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. I'm on fire! In the dark, dark. In the dark, dark._

He threw both fists down so they were at his waist, and the makeshift house burst into a pillar of flames. The pillar remained until the vocalizations started, and the house was revealed. Entirely scorched, sections of it began to fall off until the "roof" caused it to collapse, creating a shower of ash and charcoal. Robert fell to his knees, his knuckles barely touching the ground.

_My songs know what you did in the dark!_

He looked up to see the three statues were still intact, and they vaguely resembled a family of three; a father, mother and child.

_My songs know what you did in the dark!_

Robert raised his fists again, not getting up. Maka watched as he did and thought to herself, _'He's not gonna...'_

_So light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. I'm on fire! So light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. Light 'em up, up, up. I'm on fire! In the dark, dark. In the dark, dark._

The moment the first "up" was said, Robert threw down both fists, and another pillar of flames, bigger than the previous one, engulfed the statues. He kept it up, even when the first set of vocalizations started. It was only until the second set started that he stopped, and the statues were completely destroyed, turned to ash and charcoal.

The song ended, and Maka could hear Robert breathing unevenly. He cried out a few seconds later, falling to his hands. Maka could see the ground was becoming wet with tears and walked to the edge of the plateau. She climbed down, Soul staying with his motorcycle and Stone-Hammer, and dropped down the last few feet. Robert didn't hear her, and she walked closer to him. She extended a hand but hesitated, unsure if she should make her presence known. She took a chance and put a hand on him. Robert didn't react, continuing to cry, and Maka softly said, "It's alright. Just calm down." Robert obeyed, his ragged breathing slowing down.

"I just wanted Dad to come back," Robert said, still breathing heavily. "I don't care if he and Mom get back together, I just want him back." He sniffled a few times, and continued, "I just want to know, that he's still with us. That he's always by my side." Robert sat on his legs, pulling his hands onto his knees.

"Robert, listen," Maka said, "I know I can't offer much, but can you at least trust me enough to help you." Robert turned to Maka, and she had her hand extended. She had the most indescribable face on (its the one she made when she asked Crona to be her friend), and Robert began to cry again. Instead of taking her hand, he threw himself into a hug, tears pouring out. Maka was, at first, stunned, but soon returned the hug. Maka let go of Robert and said, "Come on, let's go back." Robert was still crying, but nodded his head. Robert retrieved his pack, and held out his own hand, which Maka took. Robert floated into the air, taking Maka with him, and they flew to the top of the plateau. Soul was waiting for them, and smirked.

"Well?" Maka nodded, and Soul transformed into a scythe. Maka picked him up and sat on the motorcycle, starting it up. Robert sat behind her, Stone-Hammer hooked into his pack, and Maka drove the motorcycle back to Death City.

* * *

**Woo! How was that? R&R, PM, and enough updates on this story.**


	12. The Return: The Voices in Robert's Head?

**Hey guys, what's up? I haven't been on for a while, but I've been writing and the ideas just keep entering my brain like a floodgate. Okay, I should clear some things up first:**

**1) At this point, Maka is about 13, so Robert is 15,**

**2) This is now an official AU fic, and I will eventually specify the point in time, and**

**3) I don't know whether to call this a songfic or not, but I will count it as one.**

**So without further delay, R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12

Death City, Maka and Soul's apartment, 9:53pm

News of Robert's violent outburst in Death City spread to the others; Black*Star, Kid, Stein, Marie, even Lord Death and the other Death Scythes. Spirit and Janet were in Maka and Soul's apartment along with Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, Patti, Crona, Stein and Marie. They heard the door open and Maka came in. "Oh, hi guys. What's going on?"

"We heard about what happened," Marie said, a sad look on her usually cheerful face.

"From what we could tell," Stein added, "Robert's reaction to Spirit and Janet's engagement is what set it off." Robert walked in and Janet went to her son.

"Robert? Are you feeling better now?" Robert nodded but said nothing.

"Listen, Robert," Spirit said, grabbing everyone's attention, "I can understand this negative reaction, Maka has had similar ones, save for the blowing up of random objects." He turned his attention to Janet. "So, I would like to break off the engagement. Besides, we might end up cheating on each other at the same time anyways." Janet nodded, and took off her ring. "Keep it," Spirit said, "as something to remember me by." Janet put the ring in her pocket, and Crona stepped forward shyly.

"So, you're also the son of a witch?" Robert nodded, and snapped his fingers, a small flame appearing above his thumb. He snapped his thumb again, extinguishing the flame, and Crona said, "I can't do anything like that. I can use my black blood as a weapon, but-"

"Wait, _black_ blood?" Robert cut him off.

Crona nodded, and said, "My blood was replaced with black blood, which was fused with Ragnarok when he was melted down."

Ragnarok suddenly appeared and said, "Yep, and because of that, he can't get rid of me."

"Hey Ragnarok," Maka asked, "when we were heading back, you were about to say something but Robert cut you off." Ragnarok turned to her, a dumb look on his face.

"What are you-oh, right! Crona, remember the first time Lady Medusa took you out?"

Crona nodded, and said, "Yeah, she had to go somewhere. Why does that matter?"

"Because she went to a guy named Joseph Greenwood," he turned to Robert, "that's your dad, right? Or is he your uncle?"

"Father," Robert simply said. "I remember it too, when a woman arrived at our house."

* * *

_**-Flashback, 10 years ago-**_

Five-year old Robert had awoken to the sound of the door opening. He got out of bed and went to his door. He opened it and walked out. There were voices downstairs, and Robert began to walk towards them, rubbing his eyes.

"Listen Joseph, just because you don't have the gift doesn't mean your son does," a woman's voice said.

"I will not drag Robert into this," his dad's voice this time. "You know as well as I do that he has an even slimmer chance than I did."

Robert had reached the bottom step and said, "Dad? Who is it?"

He turned and said, "Robert, go back to your room." Robert noticed the woman in the doorway, wearing robes with what looked like eyes on the hood.

"Oh, so this is your son," the woman said. "How charming, I have a son as well, Joseph. Crona." She looked behind her and a boy stepped forward from behind her legs. "Crona, now," she said, a bit forcefully this time. Crona stepped forward more and she said, "Crona's not the social type, nor does he have my talent, but I found a way to improve that." All of a sudden, Crona's back began to stretch until it slightly burst, and a small humanoid appeared. Joseph was both surprised and disgusted, Robert had stopped rubbing his eyes out of surprise.

"Medusa, what have you done to the poor boy."

"Just a little experiment that I'm working on," she said, a smug grin on her face.

Before she could say anything else, Joseph said through gritted teeth, "Get out of my house, now!" Medusa said nothing and turned.

Before she left she merely said, "We shall talk again. Crona, come." Crona followed her outside as Ragnarok began to bully him again.

_**-End Flashback-**_

* * *

"Wow," Liz said, "so you guys actually knew each other?"

"More or less," Robert answered. "It's a bit fuzzy for me, but I don't think Medusa ever talked to Dad again." Robert sat on the couch, as did Crona and Maka on either side of him. Robert pulled some more seeds from his pocket, each one of them cracking open. "I know that I can control these powers," Robert said, changing the subject, "but I'm not sure how." The seedlings fully grew into orchids, and Robert got up, still holding the flowers upright. He got out an empty cup and filled it with water, then placed the flowers in it.

"Well, the solution seems obvious," Marie said. Everyone turned to her, and she said, "Well, all you need to do is find something that you enjoy, then do that. A hobby, for example."

Robert nodded and said, "Yeah, but I don't exactly have a hobby. I'm too impatient for things that take a long time, I get bored with reading a lot of times. Actually, the only thing I do like is going on missions, but that would only influence anger, nothing else."

Maka stood and said, "Okay, well I have an idea. Since we have no school tomorrow, we'll all get together and come up with some ideas."

The others agreed, and Robert said, "What about that trip to Miami? You said you were going there for the weekend, right?"

"Don't worry," Tsubaki said, "we can still make it. We are travelling by Death Door after all." Robert nodded and left, Stone-Hammer following him. The others left too, and Robert entered his apartment.

"Night, Stone-Hammer." Stone-Hammer grunted in response, lying down on the couch. Robert went into his room and laid down. He drifted into sleep effortlessly, and began to dream.

He was back in the desert, facing a recently destroyed mesa. A single figure, almost twice his own size, stood in front of him, completely silhouetted.

"Who are you?" Robert asked. The silhouette merely echoed him.

"Are you some type of monster?" Robert asked again, merely receiving another echo.

Robert thought for a moment, and said, "I'm an idiot." Another echo, exactly as he said it. Robert chuckled, as did the silhouette. Robert stepped to the side, and the silhouette strafed to the left. Robert moved his arms and legs around, and the silhouette made appendages to copy him. Robert smirked, then pulled a hand up to his right eye. He pulled down, and stuck his tongue out. However instead of copying him, the silhouette created three eyes and a mouth colored red, an evil face. Robert flinched, and the figure began to grow. Once it reached triple his size, it exploded into seven pieces. Robert looked all around him, noticing that they were all like the silhouette, black forms with three red eyes and mouths. They suddenly lunged for him, and Robert shot up screaming.

He looked around, and saw only his room. He put a hand against his heart, clenching it, and looked at his alarm clock. 2:56 in the morning. Robert got up and went to his dresser. He decided to pack now, rather than later, and pulled out a change of clothes. He looked up slightly and noticed in the mirror someone behind him. He looked down and saw a Swiss army knife. He continued to work, slowly reaching for the knife with one hand. Once he had a hold of it, he quickly opened it and whirled around, hitting only air. He breathed heavily, thinking to himself, _'Its just your mind playing tricks. You've barely slept and you used up a lot of power.'_

He turned back to the mirror, seeing only his reflection, and went back to packing. Once finished, he set the bag down on his bed and went into the kitchen. He walked past a snoring Stone-Hammer, wondering how anyone could sleep through a chainsaw-snore like his. He opened the fridge and pulled out a Coca-Cola. After closing the fridge, he heard Stone-Hammer grunt, and noticed he had woken up.

He had a questioning look on his face, and Robert said, "Just a bad dream, nothing else." Stone-Hammer laid back down and Robert opened the soda, greedily gulping the drink down.

He tossed the empty can into the trash and heard a voice behind him say, "You know, sometimes I wonder about why you do these things to yourself." Robert didn't turn, and the voice said, "Don't you know how to relax? I mean, all this training is just too hard, wouldn't you agree?"

Robert quickly turned and saw no one, and another voice sounded right by his ear. "You also deserve some praise for your efforts," again, he turned to find no one.

"You need to keep training to crush your foes." More voices spoke in Robert's head, speaking of glory, praise, and rewards. He ignored them all, but one voice caught him off guard.

"You know, that girl isn't so bad looking." It was a female voice, "She is quite pretty, and you know you have feelings for her." Robert threw a glass cup in the direction of the voice, tempted to shout at the top of his lungs. Robert held a hand to his head, feeling a bit light-headed, and heard a knock at the door. He went to it and opened it, revealing Maka.

"Maka? What is it?" he asked sluggishly.

"I heard a bit of a commotion," Maka replied. "I was reading a book and I heard a loud noise."

"Oh, that. I, uh, dropped a glass. Sorry about that." Maka sleepily smiled and nodded, saying good night. Robert closed the door and leaned against it.

_'Jeez,'_ he thought to himself, _'what's wrong with me. I gotta clear my head.'_ He stood up and went into his room, grabbing his laptop. He turned it on and grabbed his mp3. Once it was on, he connected his mp3 and went to the iTunes shortcut on his desktop. He checked his funds, a bit over 50 Death Cash (I consider Death Cash to be an equivalent to USD, so regular money would be replaced with Death Cash), and typed in the search "Skillet".

A list of songs by the band came up, most of which were marked as "Already purchased". He scrolled down until he found something interesting, "Falling Inside the Black". He plugged in his headphones and listened to the preview. It started out slow, but began to pick up. He began to bob his head, lost in the music. Once it ended, he was still bobbing his head and even tapping his fingers against his leg like a keyboard. Once he realized it had ended he selected the purchase option, and waited for it to download. Once it was completed, Robert listened to the full song almost three times. He would have gone for a fourth if he hadn't noticed the time: 4:57am. He put everything away and laid back down.

Before he could fully fall asleep, Robert heard the female voice again, "Do not deny it, embrace your feelings."

Robert thought to himself, _'Shut the hell up,'_ and finally fell asleep.

* * *

**Sorry that it isn't much, but I finished it, right? R&R, PM, and oh wait...in the future, I may need an OC, so look for an outline.**


	13. Miami Vacation: Another Voice?

**Hey, so chapter 13 is finally up. I have decided against the Soul Eater sign off, but chapter names will be changed. So R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

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Chapter 13

**Death City, Robert and Stone-Hammer's apartment, 6:30am**

Robert woke up to the sound of his alarm clock, and slammed down on the off button. He looked at the clock, 6:30. He sighed and jumped out of bed, grabbing his bag as he went out of his room. He noticed Stone-Hammer was gone, probably already awake. He went into the kitchen and grabbed an MRE. He got his food ready and thought about what happened last night.

'Those voices weren't human, I know that. I also counted at least four different voices, so somethings up.' Once finished, he ate his MRE and walked to the door. He noticed there was a note, apparently slipped under the door due to the slight crinkling, and Robert picked it up and opened it.

The note was from Maka, and it read, "Meeting at our apartment before we leave, 7:00." He opened the door and walked over to Maka and Soul's apartment, noticing the door was already opened. He walked in and called out, "Hello? Maka? Soul? I got your note." He continued inside and it seemed to be deserted. He noticed a piano was in the corner, and he thought it was a bit strange because he didn't notice it before. He walked over to it and noticed a note on it; "Play me". Robert shook his head slightly, considering whether or not to play it.

He sat down, and cautiously opened the cover. He played a couple notes, and it sounded elegant. He looked around, not seeing anyone around or any sheet music to look off of, and decided to free form. He started by playing a few notes and, still not seeing anyone around, continued. The sound of the music was very elegant, almost a combination of orchestra and modern piano playing (for an idea of what it sounds like, look up "Resonance Synthesia" on You Tube).

Once he had finished the song, a loud applause came from behind Robert, who almost jumped out of his seat. He turned to see everyone, except for Crona, applauding. "That was amazing!" Maka said. "You're really good, maybe as good as Soul."

"What does Soul's music sound like?" Robert asked. Soul walked over and Robert got up, allowing Soul to take his place. Robert walked over to Maka, who was standing next to the kitchen entrance. Soul began to play a dark, almost demonic, song. Robert boobed his head for a moment, but stopped and stared blankly at the piano. His eye began to twitch, until he saw something. In the glossy black side he saw flashes of red. Images started flashing in front of him, images of explosions, golden coins, trophies that seemed to be skyscrapers, and various other things. Finally a flash of black and red along with a growl-like noise, and Robert screamed in surprise, falling on his back. The music had abruptly stopped and everyone was over Robert, who was trembling.

"Robert?" Maka asked. Robert stopped trembling and looked at her.

He sat up, and said, "I'm fine, I just had a bad dream last night."

"Are you sure?" Tsubaki asked, Robert immediately replying with another, "I'm fine." He stood up, and Black*Star made the mistake of asking again.

"If something is wrong, one look at my handsome, godly face will cure you for sure."

Robert shot a murderous look at him, and shouted, "I said I'm fine!" He calmed down a few seconds later, and noticed everyone was looking at him as if he was a freak.

He was a freak.

"Robert," Maka said, concern and fear in her voice, "maybe you shouldn't come with us. If you're not feeling well, you should probably see Nygus."

Robert shook his head, saying, "No, I said I was fine. I just had a really bad dream, that's all." He began rubbing his forehead, and asked, "So what about Crona? Is he coming?"

Maka shook her head, saying, "No, you know how he is. He didn't really want to go, even though we all wanted him to. Besides us, the only others who would be joining us are Ms. Marie and Stein, and they're going by themselves." Robert sat on the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. Maka sat next to him, and asked, "So, what was this dream about?"

Robert shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. He noticed a cat sat in front of him, and it gave a small "Meow". Robert smiled, but then noticed its hat.

"What's the matter, never seen a cat with a hat before?" it asked, rubbing its face with a paw. Robert jumped up, standing on the couch with his hands outstretched and ignited with flames. The cat screamed and Maka pushed Robert, causing him to burn the ceiling.

"Robert, calm down," Maka said, "it's not what you think!"

"Not what I think? I think there's a witch right in front of me and you just prevented me from killing her!"

"Now what made you think I was a witch," the cat said.

"That," Robert said, "and you're wearing a witch's hat."

"I'm just a cat with a lot of magical power, that's all." The talking cat disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and in its place was a woman wearing witch-styled clothing. "My name's Blair, by the way." She held out her hand, and Robert reluctantly shook it. "So, Maka tells me you're part witch. Must be confusing considering you're a boy."

Robert was about to say something, when Kid said, "It's 8:00, we should go now." Everyone gathered their stuff and Blair waved goodbye.

"Hope you have a nice trip."

Maka had a slightly confused look on her face, and asked, "You don't want to come? I thought you'd like going to Miami."

Blair shook her head no, and said, "Silly Maka, you should know cats hate water, especially when its ocean water." She leaned in close and whispered, "Besides, I wouldn't want to take any attention away from you, especially from Robert." Maka started to deny it, but Blair put a finger on her lips. "It;s okay, I won't tell." She pushed Maka through the doorway, a Death Door already opened, and Maka fell on top of someone.

She wasn't sure who it was until a voice said, "Get off of me. Now!" Maka rolled off and saw Robert had face planted on the pavement. He pushed himself up and said sarcastically, "Thanks Maka, just what I wanted. A broken back and a dislocated shoulder." He took a deep breath and popped his back and neck. "Okay, first things first, we need to get a room at a hotel or something. I've got," he dug into his pockets and pulled out a wad of Death Cash and counted it, "374 Death Cash."

Everyone else got out their money and the total came to a little over 2,500 Death Cash (just a reminder, Death Cash is same as USD). Robert noticed a small hotel a few blocks away and said, "Hey, I remember that place." Everyone looked in the direction he was looking at and he continued, "That was the first hotel I ever stayed in. Dad, Mom and I came here when I was about seven and we stayed at that hotel for three nights. Come on!" He began to walk in the direction of the hotel, and everyone followed. Robert began to point out various restaurants and attractions, making everyone excited. They arrived at the hotel, The Beach Side, and walked in. The hotel was, of course, beach themed, with sections of sand and palm trees. The front desk had a large fish tank built into it, at least seven different fish species swimming in the tank. The group walked up to the desk and Robert placed a card on the desk.

"My friends and I would like to stay for one night, please."

The receptionist, a woman wearing a floral print shirt with a flower in her hair, looked up and said, "Very well, and what is your name sir?"

"I believe my card will cover that, as well as the expenses." Robert withdrew his hand and the receptionist looked at the card. Her eyes grew wide, and she swiped the card.

She returned it with a smile and said, "Pleasure to have you stay with us again, Mr. Greenwood. All of your expenses will be covered, so please enjoy your stay at The Beach Side Hotel."

Robert took the card back and replied, "We will, thank you." The receptionist gave them each a wristband.

"Second floor, boys get room 256, girls get room 257." Robert nodded and put on his wristband. Everyone followed him through the building and Robert explained to them that he had come here several times for the summer, and he and his parents had a special lifetime membership that only they had. Once they arrived, they each went into their rooms. The boy's room had two beds, a couch, a flat screen TV, and one bathroom. The room was designed with an aquatic theme: the wallpaper was covered in sea life, the end tables were decorated with shells, and water beds. Kid and Robert called the beds, Black*Star got the couch, and Soul and Stone-Hammer agreed to sleep in their weapon forms.

They set their bags down and Robert said, "I'm gonna wait outside, not much for me to do in here." The four nodded and Robert left the room. After closing the door, Robert leaned against the wall, putting a hand to his head.

'What's happening to me,' he thought to himself. 'First there was the voices, now these weird visions?' A voice caught his attention, and he looked over to see Maka talking to some guy with dark brown hair, a white t-shirt, khaki pants, and sandals.

"He's going to take her away from you." It was another unknown voice, different from the first four. "You need to do something now. She's your girl, yours!"

'That's ridiculous,' Robert thought to himself. 'She is not my girl. And what if this guy is a relative of hers? I'd be making a fool of myself. I should still talk to her, tell her the guys are almost done.' Robert walked over to Maka, the latter looking over.

"Oh, Robert. This is-"

"Guy Johnson," he finished, his voice sounding deep and rough, holding his hand out.

Robert shook it and said, "Robert Greenwood." He turned to Maka, "The guys are almost done, how about you?"

"Well, obviously Liz has barely started, and Tsubaki and Patti are halfway done."

Robert nodded, and Guy said, "Hey, I know a really good resturaunt in town. How about you and your friends come along, my treat."

"No offense, but I don't think you could cover all nine of us plus yourself."

Guy chuckled a bit, and said, "Yeah, guess you're right. Still, how about we go anyway."

"Well, maybe. What's the place called?"

"The Karaoke Crab." At that moment, the girls came out and Liz apparently overheard them. "Karaoke? Sounds like fun." She walked up to Guy and said in a sweet tone, "And, who might you be?"

"Guy Johnson, pleasure to meet you." He winked at her, making all of the girls' legs turn into jelly. The guys came out, and they noticed the girls' expressions.

"Maka, you alright?" Soul said, snapping his fingers in front of Maka.

Maka snapped back into reality, and said, "Oh, yeah. Guy was offering to take us to a resturaunt called the Karaoke Crab. What do you say guys?"

Everyone agreed, and Guy lead them down the hall to the exit.

* * *

**Okay, so filler chapter for now, but trust me it picks up. Now I just need to write the rest of the arc and everyone will be happy. R&R, PM, or I'll take your soul (sorry, only thing I could think of).**


	14. Showdown Robert's Song of Madness?

**Okay, finally this story gets an update. I decided to update now instead of later. What's more, this is where the real fun starts. Get ready to feel the heat. R&R, PM, and Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 14

**Miami, Florida, 10:35am**

The group arrived at the Karaoke Crab; a beach-themed resturaunt that had table, booth, and bar seating and a small stage with some technical equipment for the lyrics and microphone. A waitress came up to them, and said, "Welcome to the Karaoke Crab. Table for ten?" Robert nodded, and she led them to a booth table near the stage. They seated themselves and ordered drinks, and she asked if they would like to look at the song list. "We have karaoke Monday through Saturday, and on Saturdays we have showdowns."

"Showdowns?" Maka asked, interested in what it could be.

"Yes, two singers each sing one song and the audience chooses who they thought was the winner."

"I'll do a showdown," Robert said, a knowing grin on his face.

"Alright, I will need your name and the name of who you are challenging."

Robert thought for a moment, then said, "I'm Robert Greenwood, and I challenge Guy Johnson."

Guy smirked and stood, "You're on."

The waitress told them to follow her and Robert thought to himself, _'Wait, I can't sing. Why did I-'_

"Because I told you to." Robert turned around, watching Guy walk behind him. "Not him, you idiot. I am the voice in your head, a part of you."

_'Let me guess, the other voices are also part of me?'_

"Quite correct, but we will only show ourselves when an opportunity presents itself."

_'Oh, like when you told me Guy was going to take Maka away from me?'_

"There are things that I know that you don't. For example, Guy isn't who he says he is." Before Robert could reply, a big slap on the back literally knocked him out of his thoughts.

"Robert Greenwood, haven't seen you in a long time." Robert turned around and smiled.

"Likewise, Big John." Big John was a well built man with tousled black hair and stubble. He wore a dirty white shirt, white apron, and tan shorts.

"Ha ha, its been what, five or six years since you last came here? Last time I saw you, I could pick you up and set you on top of the freezer." Big John laughed, Robert chuckling a bit.

"Yeah."

"So how have you and your folks been?"

Robert looked away, and said, "My dad...he left."

Big John patted his back, and said, "Sorry to hear that. Well, almost time for the showdown." He handed Robert a composition notebook, "All the songs are there, just say which song number you want and we'll get it set up for you." Robert saw he was right next to the stage and sat down on one of the steps. He looked through the list and began to think about the last time he came here.

* * *

**Flashback**

It was six years ago. Robert and his dad had arrived at the Karaoke Crab about an hour after arriving in Miami. They were on their annual father son trip, and Robert chose to go to Miami this year. They would only be here for a day, then return home in the evening. They went to an amusement park for almost the entire day, then went to the Karaoke Crab for dinner.

They met Big John for the first time, and his father requested Robert sing a song. Robert picked the easiest one he could find and whispered it into his father's ear. He was given a microphone and walked onto the stage. He opened his eyes as the music began, and froze. There were so many people, he didn't want all these eyes on him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and noticed the music wasn't playing anymore. He looked over his shoulder and saw his father with a microphone in his hand.

"It's alright, Robert," he said, "I'll be right here, singing along with you the entire way." Robert's fear went away, and he faced the crowd once again, and the two began to sing, "This Little Light of Mine".

**Flashback End**

* * *

Robert was brought out of his thoughts by the same voice from before, "What are you doing idiot?! Pick a song already!"

"I know which one to pick." It was the female voice this time, "Song number 67." Robert looked down at the page and saw the song she indicated.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Robert!" Robert snapped up to see Big John standing in front of him, "You got a song picked or what?"

_'Screw it.'_ "Song 67." Big John nodded and told him to get on stage. Robert set the composition book on the seat and walked up the steps, Guy already up on stage.

"Okay, folks," Big John announced into the microphone, "are we having a good time?" The crowd cheered, and Big John said, "Alright, well its time for a showdown!" He held the last word out, pointing his finger out to the now chanting crowd.

"Showdown! Showdown! Showdown!"

"Today, our contestants are Guy Johnson," he waved to the crowd, greeted with cheers from mostly the girls. "and Robert Greenwood," a bit louder cheer than Guy's, and Robert smirked. "Now, today is a very special day. In this showdown, we have a special effect on the contestant's performance; singing in a low voice, singing a completely randomized song, who knows what'll happen!?" He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, and said, "And our effect is...Song Swap! Contestants must now sing each other's songs!" The crowd cheered and Big John gave the two a slip of paper. Robert looked at what he would now be singing, Monster by Skillet, and the voice said, "Perfect."

Big John directed Robert off stage and said into the mic, "Our first contestant is Guy Johnson, singing I'm a Believer by Smash Mouth!" The crowd cheered and Guy took the mic. As the music began, Robert walked off towards the restroom and went in. He went up to the sink and ran some cold water. He cupped his hands and rubbed his face, trying to clear his head.

He heard the door open and close, momentarily letting in the music, and heard someone behind him say, "You okay, man?" Robert looked up and saw Soul in the mirror. Robert nodded and pulled some paper towels out, and Soul said, "Maka wanted me to come check on you." Soul walked over to one of the stalls and opened the door. He paused for a moment, and asked, "So why did you pick that song?"

Robert was silent for a moment, and made up, "It was a random choice. I was about to pick another one, but it was too late." Soul nodded and went into the stall. Robert wiped his face with the paper towels, and wadded them up after. He looked into the mirror, taking his glasses off then putting them back on.

Suddenly, his reflection winked at him. Robert's eyes widened, and the reflection said, "Don't worry, it's just me." Robert recognized it as the voice he had been hearing the most, "I'm just here to tell you something. You won't win this contest on your own, so you'll need my help. When the song comes on, just let me take over." Robert heard the crowd cheering, meaning Guy had finished, and his reflection said, "Better hurry." His reflection went back to normal and he heard Soul flush the toilet. Robert immediately left the restroom and walked up to Big John.

"Your ready?" Robert nodded and Big John handed him a hands-free mic. "You can do whatever you need to improve your performance: body movements, voice tone, whatever. Just give them a good show." Robert attached the mic to his ear and got up on stage.

"And now," Big John announced, "our second contestant, Robert Greenwood singing Monster by Skillet!" The crowd cheered and Robert looked out at the crowd.

"Just let me take over."

_'Fine, have it your way.'_

As the music came on, Robert's vision suddenly turned red. He felt intense pain in his head, and gripped it tightly with both hands. He began to stumble back, holding one hand behind him, then stumbled forward onto one knee.

_The secret side of me, I never let you see. I keep it caged but I can't control it._

Robert slowly rose to his feet, his voice sounding more gruff than normal.

_So stay away from me, the beast is ugly. I feel the rage and I just can't hold it._

Robert staggered back, holding one hand out and looking away from the audience. With his back to the audience, he hunched over and held his head in his hands.

_It's scratching on the walls, in the closet in the halls. It comes awake and I can't control it._

Robert slammed an open hand on the ground and began clawing it like he was being pulled away, actually bringing up some of the wood from the stage.

_Hiding under the bed, in my body in my head. Why won't somebody come and save me from this make it end!_

He clutched his arms and then his head, as if he was tracing a virus. He then turned to the audience, showing only one of his eyes, which was darting back and forth frantically.

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I, I, I feel like a monster, I, I, I feel like a monster._

Robert began thrashing around, looking like he was dancing while having a seizure. Half of the time, his face was covered by a hand.

_My secret side I keep hid under lock and key, I feel the rage and I just can't hold it._

Robert stopped in the middle of the stage, and raised his head up slowly, revealing an insane-looking smile on his face.

_Cause if I let him out he'll tear me up break me down. Why won't somebody come and save me from this make it end!_

Robert lifted a shaking hand in front of his face and began moving it down, as if he wasn't in control of it.

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I, I, I feel like a monster, I, I, I feel like a monster_

Robert began thrashing again, his voice becoming more forced. He began looking around the resturant and noticed Maka and the others, all with uneasy looks on their faces. He then noticed the door opened and saw two people come in. The first was a man with gray hair, a lab coat and a screw in his head; the second was a woman with yellow hair, a black dress and an eyepatch. Both seemed very familiar to him, and the moment they saw him, it was like they knew him.

_It's hiding in the dark, its teeth are razor sharp, there's no escape for me it wants my soul it wants my heart. No one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream, maybe it's inside of me. Stop this monster!_

Darkness began to claw at the edges of his vision, and it felt like he was being stuck with millions of pins and needles. His chest felt tight, and his breath came short. It was like the song was making him go insane.

_I feel it deep within it's just beneath the skin, I must confess that I_ **_feel like a monster._**

Robert stopped center stage, head completely lowered and body shaking violently. He raised his head, one of his eyes glowing red, and on the last four words his voice lowered, making it sound like he was an actual monster.

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I hate what I've become the nightmare's just begun, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I kind of lose control, it's something radical, I must confess that I feel like a monster. I, I, I feel like a monster. I, I, I feel like a monster. I, I, I feel like a monster._

He once again began to thrash, this time like an animal-a monster even. At the final part of the song, he jumped down to his knees and brought his hands down as the song ended.

His vision went back to normal, and he began to breathe heavily. His ears were ringing, and soon cleared up to hear loud screams and whistles. He looked up to see the entire restaurant was giving him a large applause. He stood up, but was almost knocked down again by Big John.

"Now that was awesome!" He exclaimed. "How about it folks, was it Guy Johnson?" A loud cheer came from the audience. "Or was it Robert Greenwood?" The entire restaurant erupted in cheers, some of them even standing up. "Looks like we got ourselves a winner!" Big John slapped Robert on the back again, and Robert winced. Guy stepped off stage, as Big John asked Robert, "So how do you fell kid? Feel like an encore?"

The crowd began chanting "Encore! Encore!" and Robert smiled. Suddenly, he got a bad feeling in his stomach.

Big John asked again, "You feeling alright?"

"I feel like I'm gonna be sick." Robert jumped off stage, running immediately for the restroom. Once inside, he slammed open the door to the stall and unloaded his breakfast into the, formerly, clean white bowl. He heaved a few times, making sure he wasn't going to do it again. He flushed the toilet and staggered over to the sink. He held onto the sides of the sink, unsure if he was going to fall, and heard the door open. At first, he thought it was Soul again, but instead found it was someone worse.

"Pretty good performance out there." Robert looked at the mirror and saw the reflection of Guy. "I really liked how you moved around the stage. Made you look like an actual monster." Robert coughed, and noticed flecks of red in the bowl. "You know, that song you chose, I bet it was for someone special, am I right?"

"What's it to you?" Robert said, momentarily turning his attention away from the red flecks and into the mirror.

"Oh, just thinking about what would happen."

"What?"

"If you never got the chance to really tell her how you feel." Robert looked in the mirror again, and saw Guy's left iris was sliding down, revealing red underneath. "Soul Protect, Release!" Robert ducked down as the mirror shattered into thousands of pieces, and swept his legs across the ground. He hit his target, but failed in knocking him down. Guy, or whoever he was, reached down and picked him up by the throat.

"You think you can stop me, quarter-witch?" He pulled out something from behind him, and Robert saw it was a flask with green powder inside. He uncorked it with his mouth, and vapor started to come out. He waved it in front of Robert's face, who couldn't do anything but breathe. "Nighty-night," was all he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

When he woke up, he found himself in a bed. He could smell ocean water, so he wasn't in a hospital or at the hotel. He opened his eyes and looked around. It was a small room, the walls and ceiling looked like they were made out of a tropical forest. He noticed there was a computer with papers on the desk it was on, at the far end of the room. He saw an IV next to him, which led down to his left arm, and tried to sit up. He heard someone walk in and heard a calming voice say, "Oh good, you're up."

Robert saw Ms. Marie in the doorway with two plastic cups of iced tea in her hands. Robert sat up and took the IV out, even though Ms. Marie objected to it.

Once it was out, Robert leaned back and weakly asked, "Where am I?"

"This is a beach house Stein and I rented. It's modest, and cozy, I just wish Stein hadn't brought his computer along." Ms. Marie handed Robert a cup and he took it carefully. Once he had a firm grip on the cup, he began to drink the cold beverage greedily.

He finished and handed the glass back to Ms. Marie, and asked, "How long was I out?"

"About four hours, almost five." Robert looked at the clock and saw it was already past three, and heard a second voice.

"Good to see you're awake this early." Robert and Marie looked at the doorway to see Stein with an unlit cigarette in his hands. "I assumed you would have woken up later. I even thought of taking you back to Death City." He took the chair next to his computer and brought it over to Robert, sitting in it backwards. "Marie, would you tell the others that Robert is awake?" Marie nodded and left, leaving the two alone.

"Robert," Stein said, turning to grab something off the floor, "what do you see here?" He showed Robert a card with an ink blot on it, and Robert looked. The blot was oddly shaped; in some places it seemed to curl, at the top it looked like an arrow, but one-or rather three-part caught his attention.

There were three spots near the top, close together, that were shaped like eyes, only turned upward. He looked at it only for a short time before he saw the three spots turn red. He moved back a little, and the ink blot suddenly jumped at him, a gaping red mouth ready to swallow him. He rolled off the bed, falling off and landing on his side. He looked up, waiting for the ink blot to show itself. Instead, the head of Dr. Stein appeared.

"It's just as I thought, maybe even worse."

They heard the door open, and Robert heard, _**"Rorworgah, Robert rokgah."**_

Robert looked at where the sound had come came from and screamed in terror. In the doorway was the dark figure from his dream. Robert scrambled backwards, knocking down the bedside table with Ms. Marie's tea. "Stay back. Whatever you are, get back!" Robert shouted, trying to get away from the dark figure. The figure came closer, extending a clawed black hand towards him.

Robert threw both of his hands forward, "I'm warning you! Get back!" The figure came closer, and opened its mouth.

"I said stay back!" Robert's hands erupted in flames and shot a jet of flames at the figure. The figure stumbled back and fell, and the flames disappeared. Robert calmed down and looked at the figure again. He stood and noticed its hand; it was no longer black, or clawed. Instead it was more like a human's with a white colored glove. He looked at the figure's face, and pure terror from realization struck him.

"Maka."

* * *

**OH! Burned in more ways than one! R&R, PM, and are you glad I'm back?**


End file.
